At the sitting of 3 July the President of Parliament announced that the Committee on Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities had been authorised to draw up an own-initiative report under Rule on the consequences of the sex industry in the European Union. The committee appointed Marianne Eriksson rapporteur at its meeting of 26 November It considered the draft report at its meetings of 19 January, 30 March and 7 April At the latter meeting it adopted the motion for a resolution by 11 votes to 9, with 0 abstention.
Van Lancker. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs,.
Deplores the fact that not all EU Member States and accession countries have ratified and implemented the international conventions aiming, firstly, at combating trafficking in human beings, and, secondly, at preventing all sexual exploitation of human beings and safeguarding human dignity or the international conventions for the protection of migrant workers and insists on the necessity for all relevant measures to be taken without further delay, both in Member States and the accession countries and at European Union level;.
Deems it essential for the Commission and Council to take the lead in the development of targeted activities with a view to the implementation of the Brussels Declaration - at both European and international level - and calls on the Commission to publish an annual report on the progress achieved;. Emphasises the need for a human rights approach so as to ensure that measures in the field of trafficking and prostitution are consistent with the protection of human rights and do not create or exacerbate situations that cause or contribute to trafficking or related abuses, condemns policies and practices that further undermine or endanger the already precariously held rights of individuals working in prostitution and condemns policies and practices that might add to the stigmatisation or marginalisation of the groups involved;.
Calls on the Commission as a matter of urgency to consider updating the existing Directives in order to provide better protection for European citizens against unsolicited material;. Calls on the Commission to present as soon as possible new legislative instruments which protect individuals against unsolicited electronic messages of whatever kind and, in cooperation with the relevant industry, to devise the requisite technical measures;.
