Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-10-20-Speech-1-175"
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"en.20081020.17.1-175"2
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".
Mr President, I would firstly like to thank the Parliament for addressing the Commission’s proposal very promptly, allowing the programme to start as early as possible.
Secondly, I would like to thank the rapporteur, who has underlined the very important questions we have to tackle here. The uses and applications of the internet and mobile phones have multiplied greatly since they were first introduced. We now have interactive markets, and very young children – not only young adults – spend a large portion of their time online, sometimes even more than in front of the television. We have a situation where the parents do not know how to operate these new technologies or what their functions are.
I do not think we should be negative. The internet and mobile phones are a wonderful, exciting opportunity. However, having said this, we must not ignore the other side of the coin. In the real world there are risks associated with the use of the internet and mobiles phones, in particular for the more vulnerable part of our population – our children. These dangers – as the rapporteur has rightly underlined – range from harmful viewing content to harassment and bullying, all of which have become easier and more commonplace. Even worse, the internet has become a channel for sexual abuse. Despite joint efforts to fight the production and distribution of such terrible material, its volume is on the rise. That is why there is an urgent need to fight these negative and unacceptable practices.
The protection of children must be a shared responsibility. Of course, it starts in the family, but we have to enable families to help their children. It involves governments, industry, non-profit organisations and schools. This is precisely the goal of this new, safer internet programme. It will maintain what has been done in previous years regarding current internet protection but build on these successful activities and enhance the safety of children in the online environment of today. We know that these joint actions by governments, private organisations and the industry are a very good example of how Europe can have a direct impact on citizens’ daily lives. More children use the internet at home or at school but parents and teachers are not necessarily well informed about the opportunities and the risks. That is why we will actively pursue our efforts towards creating a safer online environment for children by informing parents, empowering teachers and asking for coordinated action by national governments and educational societies.
We will, of course, retain the substance of the Commission’s proposals, but Parliament has presented a whole series of amendments which provide a fuller description of one or more of the basic objectives and which seem to reflect the broad consensus within the Parliament. That is why the Commission can support the amendments put forward in Mrs Angelilli’s report. They will then pave the way for a successful first-reading agreement with the Council. I am very confident that the compromise text for the programme, as submitted to you today, will be largely supported by Parliament and hopefully also by the second legislator."@en1
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