McCann´s campaign wins EU handout

A Europe-wide alert system for missing children has received a £900,000 European Comission handout on the eve of the second anniversary of Madeleine McCann´s disappearance. Madeleine´s parents, Kate and Gerry, have been campaigning ever since for closer cooperation between EU countries to help prevent chils abductions across borders. They twice took their campaign to the European Parliament last year, winning support from MEP´s for increased action to set up a US-style "Amber Alert" early warning system which has led to safe return of hundreds of children when the alarm has been raised across state lines. A similar network across twenty seven European countries could have helped raise awareness faster about Madeleine´s abduction from the McCann´s holiday villa. Now the European Commission funding will be used to support work on as many as ten EU-wide projects aimed at improving joint child abduction procedures. Conservative MEP Edward McMillan-Scott, who has been working with the McCanns on an EU response system, said: "When a child goes missing, the first 72 hours are crucial. At the moment European countries fail to cooperate effectively when recovering missing children. We need a system in place that will transmit the pictures and details of an abducted child into every conceivable place. Experience of those countries that have alert systems in place, such as the US, is extremely positive". Mr. McMillan-Scott said the response from MEP´s to the McCann-inspired declaration calling for EU action had been "phenomenal". The MEP added: "We sent a strong signal to the Commission that we need action, and its credit to the Commission has responded".