The European Union regards “the trafficking of human beings as a crime against the person, with the object of that person’s exploitation”: on the basis of this conviction, a seminar was held in Helsinki on Tuesday 31 October, “in the framework of the EU Action Plan to combat the trafficking” of children, women and men, and their exploitation either in work or for sexual ends. A framework decision of 2002 defines this issue in its legal aspects, “nonetheless – it was pointed out in the introduction to the seminar – the European Commission understands the importance of transforming” the declarations of principle “into concrete norms and actions”. What is needed in this sense, it was further underlined, are “more effective prevention, proper protection and aid to the victims”, steps to curb the “criminalization of the trade” and “more active judicial cooperation”. With a view to the promotion of the common Action Plan, the Finnish Presidency of the EU wished to make possible this preliminary opportunity for the study of the problem, which was attended by politicians, EU administrators and experts from the 25 member countries and also from the candidate countries.
