MCCANNS LOBBY MEP'S ON ALERT PLAN !
Gerry and Kate McCann fear time is running out for their campaign.
The parents of missing Madeleine McCann are visiting the European Parliament to gain support for a Europe-wide alert system for abducted children.
Gerry and Kate McCann need the backing of 393 MEPs to ensure that their proposal is published by the EU.
But some MEPs have shown "a complete lack of understanding" of the need for an alert system, Gerry McCann has said. Madeleine, then aged three, of Rothley, Leicestershire, vanished from a holiday apartment in Portugal in May 2007.
Amber Alert
The McCanns believe that a European version of the US Amber Alert system would have helped the search for their daughter in the crucial hours after her disappearance.
The US system enables an early warning to be given via the media across the country when police confirm a child has been abducted.
The couple launched their campaign in April but now fear time is running out in their bid to achieve formal recognition of the scheme.
Although publication of the proposal would carry no legal weight in the European Union, the McCanns believe it would help them win the moral argument over whether such a cross-border system is needed.
As of Monday evening the couple had collected the names of 211 MEPs.
But they need another 182 signatures before the July 24 deadline if the declaration is to be sent to the EU president and published.
Speaking in the latest blog on the Find Madeleine website, Gerry McCann revealed his frustrations in persuading MEPs that such a system is needed.
He said: "Some of the responses that have been sent display a complete lack of understanding in what we hope to achieve. "
However, after a vote in the European Parliament on Tuesday , several MEPs approached the McCanns to express their support for the scheme.
French member Alain Lamassoure, of the European People's Party, said: "I will sign it because it's a very painful issue and clearly a far better co-operation between the judiciary and police of member states could help prevent or solve these kinds of issues."
Irish Fianna Fail member Liam Aylward said: "It's a heart-rending case and it captured the imagination of people around the world.
"If we can influence anybody, we will do."
The couple are due to stage a press conference on Tuesday evening at the end of their day of campaigning in Strasbourg.
BBC NEWS REPORT.The parents of missing Madeleine McCann are visiting the European Parliament to gain support for a Europe-wide alert system for abducted children.
Gerry and Kate McCann need the backing of 393 MEPs to ensure that their proposal is published by the EU.
But some MEPs have shown "a complete lack of understanding" of the need for an alert system, Gerry McCann has said. Madeleine, then aged three, of Rothley, Leicestershire, vanished from a holiday apartment in Portugal in May 2007.
Amber Alert
The McCanns believe that a European version of the US Amber Alert system would have helped the search for their daughter in the crucial hours after her disappearance.
The US system enables an early warning to be given via the media across the country when police confirm a child has been abducted.
The couple launched their campaign in April but now fear time is running out in their bid to achieve formal recognition of the scheme.
Although publication of the proposal would carry no legal weight in the European Union, the McCanns believe it would help them win the moral argument over whether such a cross-border system is needed.
As of Monday evening the couple had collected the names of 211 MEPs.
But they need another 182 signatures before the July 24 deadline if the declaration is to be sent to the EU president and published.
Speaking in the latest blog on the Find Madeleine website, Gerry McCann revealed his frustrations in persuading MEPs that such a system is needed.
He said: "Some of the responses that have been sent display a complete lack of understanding in what we hope to achieve. "
However, after a vote in the European Parliament on Tuesday , several MEPs approached the McCanns to express their support for the scheme.
French member Alain Lamassoure, of the European People's Party, said: "I will sign it because it's a very painful issue and clearly a far better co-operation between the judiciary and police of member states could help prevent or solve these kinds of issues."
Irish Fianna Fail member Liam Aylward said: "It's a heart-rending case and it captured the imagination of people around the world.
"If we can influence anybody, we will do."
The couple are due to stage a press conference on Tuesday evening at the end of their day of campaigning in Strasbourg.
Labels: McCanns MEP'S Strasbourg Madeleine Campaign EU Alert Abducted Children Warning Police
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