Funding for anti-violence scheme likely to be slashed

Date: 20/05/1999

By Renée Cordes

EU GOVERNMENTS look set to slash the proposed funding for a new multi-annual programme aimed at combating violence against women and children.

The European Commission has called for the Daphne programme, which was drawn up at the behest of the European Parliament after a number of high-profile paedophilia scandals, to be given a budget of €25 million over five years.

But the UK and the Netherlands are insisting that spending on the initiative, which seeks to protect women and children against trafficking and sexual violence, should be cut to just €4 million and that the programme should run for no more than four years.

EU education and youth ministers are likely to approve the scheme at a meeting next Thursday (27 May), but with a considerably reduced budget - although it is not clear what the final figure will be.

Diplomats stressed this week that ministers had not yet reached an "agreement or compromise" on the funding or length of the programme.

Keyword: Daphne Programme.