Brussels: The Council of the EU and the European Parliament made progress on the draft Regulation for the prevention and combating of child sexual abuse (CSAM) and provisionally reached common ground on politically sensitive issues. The second trilogue took place on Thursday in a constructive atmosphere, with the two institutions reaffirming their commitment to continuing negotiations with the aim of completing the dossier.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the Council reached its negotiating mandate in November, during the Danish Presidency, while the first trilogue was held in December. Today's meeting was the first trilogue under the Cyprus Presidency. Since the beginning of the Presidency, six interinstitutional technical meetings have been held, with the aim of advancing the negotiations and reaching an agreement by the end of the Presidency.
Progress was recorded on provisions concerning the establishment and tasks of the future EU Centre for the protection of children from sexual abuse, which is envisaged to operate as a new EU agency. Developments were also noted in the provisions on information and assistance to victims of child sexual abuse, as well as in the procedures for the submission of relevant material by national authorities to the Centre to be established.
The technical teams were instructed to continue work on the outstanding issues in view of the next trilogue, which will take place in the coming months. 'The Cyprus Presidency remains committed to combating the dissemination of child sexual abuse material and to protecting children,' a spokesperson of the Cyprus Presidency said. The objective, the spokesperson added, is to achieve the maximum possible progress and to conclude the file during the term of the Cyprus Presidency.