Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-04-11-Speech-2-202"
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"en.20000411.8.2-202"2
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"I should like to explain to the honourable Member what my feelings are in this matter, not just the legal aspects. The whole problem could not have arisen and would not exist were there no demand for this horrendous supply in our rich societies, including in the Member States of the European Union. The entire problem has only arisen because there are people in our societies who will pay money for it. In Romania there are no people paying for it. These people are in this country, the country in which we live, in all the neighbouring countries, in all the countries of the European Union.
I would be most grateful to the honourable Member if, before representing one of the poorest countries of Europe in her question here, she were also to point out that the real responsibility for this terrible crime lies with those who pay for and demand it.
Now let me come to Romania. The subject of children in Romania is, as you know, one of the subjects on which the Commission is most intensively employed, including me personally. There is no single topic in the context of accession negotiations, apart perhaps from the safety of nuclear power stations, to which I personally have addressed myself more intensively than the situation of children in Romania, including the problem to which you referred.
I cannot confirm the accuracy of the BBC television report. The fact that something has been broadcast on the BBC does not automatically mean that it is true. Not that I am saying that it is untrue. Simply that we cannot confirm it. It is therefore difficult for me to answer your specific question as to whether children are being bred in Romania for the purpose of sexual abuse with a clear yes or no. What I can say is that, as Parliament’s hearing on the subject of children in Romania has demonstrated over recent weeks in Brussels, the Commission is doing absolutely everything in its power to improve the lot of children in Romania.
I assure the honourable Member that we are doing far more than is our duty and, in fact, far more that what is actually politically permissible within the framework of accession negotiations. I do, however, admit that we are doing so because, in my view, it is also a human rights issue which must be considered in accordance with the political criteria governing accession. But I must again expressly state that I would guard against representing this problem – although I do not think the honourable Member intended to do so – as a problem specific to the accession or candidate countries. It is a problem that should be a cause for concern to everyone in Europe. While we address the question of what we are doing in Romania or in other countries to fight the supply, I would also ask Parliament to address the question of what we are doing to fight the demand."@en1
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