§ Mr. Martyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development from which budget lines under which EU directorates funding is available for street children programmes in developing countries and Central and Eastern Europe. [83574]
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§ Mr. FoulkesA new over-arching budget line, B7–612 entitled "Preparatory actions undertaken through nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) in the campaign against child discrimination" is included in the 1999 EU budget. This appropriation is intended to co-finance NGO activities in support of the Declaration on the Rights of the Child and aims at combating violence against children and the exploitation of child labour and at providing support for schooling, and the provision of food and protection for street children. It will also cover co-financing with NGOs which are members of the European Network on Street Children Worldwide.
However, specific projects aimed at street children would normally be funded from the general budget line for financial and technical co-operation for the geographical area concerned: e.g. B7–31 for Latin America; B7–30 for Asia; B7–4 for Mediterranean and Middle-East; B7–5 for Central and Eastern Europe, New Independent States and Mongolia. In the case of African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, the funds would come not from the budget but from the European Development Fund, except for overarching budget lines such as B7–6 (Other Co-operation Measures) and B7–7 (European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights) which apply to all countries.
The Commission Directorates through which these funds are spent are DGVIII (African, Caribbean and the Pacific for EDF funds), DGIA (Central and Eastern Europe), DGIB (Asia and Latin America), and the Common Service for External Relations which handles project implementation for the external assistance Directorates-General.