European Commission: Justice

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17.11.2010 European Commission makes final call to 14 Member States to activate missing children hotline 116 000

The European Commission today made a final call to 14 EU Member States to make the Europe-wide 116 000 hotline for missing children operational as soon as possible. The hotline provides a single number for missing children and their parents to call for help anywhere in the EU. Having the same hotline will help children and parents in trouble get help when away from home, such as during family holidays. In a report adopted today, the Commission takes stock of the situation in the Member States, proposes common minimum quality requirements for the service throughout the EU and gives Member States a last chance to make the hotline operational before considering legislative measures.

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09.11.2010 European Commission calls for rapid action to tackle new drugs, “legal highs” and trafficking routes

The EU has made progress in curbing drug use and trafficking over the past 18 months. The Commission is acting to stop so-called “legal highs,” proposing on 20 October an EU-wide ban on mephedrone, an ecstasy-like drug that is already illegal in 15 Member States (see IP/10/1355). Important progress has also been made in blocking imports of cocaine and heroin. However, more work is needed to stem a rise in cocaine-related deaths and the emergence of new drugs and cross-border trafficking routes. These are the main conclusions of the European Commission's first review of the EU Drugs Action Plan 2009-2012, released today. Every year, 6,500 to 7,000 people die in the EU from a drug overdose. Between 25 and 30 million Europeans are estimated to have taken some type of illicit drug in the last year, including 4 million who took cocaine. There were 1,000 cocaine-related deaths.

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04.11.2010 European Commission sets out strategy to strengthen EU data protection rules

What happens to your personal data when you board a plane, open a bank account, or share photos online? How is this data used and by whom? How do you permanently delete profile information on social networking websites? Can you transfer your contacts and photos to another service? Controlling your information, having access to your data, being able to modify or delete it – these are essential rights that have to be guaranteed in today's digital world. To address these issues, the European Commission today set out a strategy on how to protect individuals' data in all policy areas, including law enforcement, while reducing red tape for business and guaranteeing the free circulation of data within the EU. This policy review will be used by the Commission with the results of a public consultation to revise the EU’s 1995 Data Protection Directive. The Commission will then propose legislation in 2011.

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