MEPs back increased EU funding for Maddy child alert scheme

4.22.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 15th Jul 2008

Following last week's adoption of a European Parliament declaration demanding a EU-wide rapid alert system for missing children for which the McCanns campaigned, MEPs on the parliament's civil liberties committee have called for extra funding to be allocated to it.

The Committee has backed an amendment to the draft EU budget for 2009 to increase the funding to €1.5 million from the €1 million proposed by the European Commission.

Liberal Democrat European justice & human rights spokeswoman and London MEP Baroness Sarah Ludford, a consistent champion of the European child alert initiative, said:

"If we are going to launch this system, which has the potential to save the lives of many missing children in Europe and spare the anguish of their families, we must do it properly and not penny-pinch."

"I'm hopeful that the French Presidency will also back moves to increase the money for this vital scheme, given that a similar system operates successfully in France."

ENDS