By CECILIA PIRES
THE WRITEN declaration calling for the introduction of an EU wide Amber alert system has received support from 417 for the 786 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).
According to Gerry McCann’s blog on the findmadeleine.com website, this makes it possible for the issue to be discussed and proposed for the European Commission to legislate on the subject.
Writing on the blog, Gerry McCann says the family is “very pleased” to learn about the fact that the petition already has the support of 53 per cent of the MEPs.
They needed a 51 per cent support for a proposal even to be considered for the agenda of debates.
He added that this result is a “small step in the right direction”.
However, Gerry McCann recognises that “a lot of work will be needed to get the National Amber alert system implemented”.
He also thanks the MEP Edward McMillan-Scott and other sponsors as well as the public who lobbied their MPEs to make this petition a success.
A final decision on whether to implement the scheme, and the details of how it would work, are now in the hands of the EU children’s commissioner, Jacques Barrot, but the McCanns are hopeful the scheme will be up and running within one to two years.
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