EU: Protection Of Minors And Human Dignity

The Commission held a hearing on the protection of minors and human dignity in information and audiovisual services on 4 February in Brussels. This followed the publication last year of its Green Paper on the same subject and its Communication on illegal and harmful content on the internet. The main issues for discussion included the development of the V-Chip and the PICS platform. The particular area of concern for delegates was the accessibility of pornographic and paedophiliac references on the internet. However, in a bizarre intervention, the representative of BEUC, the European Consumers Union, argued that the most serious issue was that of marketing aimed at children. The Culture Committee of the EP last week discussed a draft report on the subject, and will vote on it at its next meeting on 27 February.