At the seminar held by the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality on the occasion of International Women's Day (8 March), the Commission representatives made a few proposals for combating the problem of forced prostitution and trafficking in women and children for sexual purposes during the forthcoming football World Cup in Germany.

1. What special measures has the Commission taken or does it intend to take under the EU plan on best practices, standards and procedures for combating and preventing trafficking in human beings, adopted by the Council on 1-2 December 2005, with a view to the forthcoming football World Cup? Has any campaigning material been produced at EU level and what cooperation has there been with NGOs?

2. Has Germany informed the Commission of the practical measures it intends to take, in particular a multilingual direct hotline to assist victims of trafficking?

3. Has the Commission taken measures in cooperation with Europol, the main European instrument for combating trafficking in human beings, in relation to the World Cup?

4. Has the Commission considered practical options for launching a European Day against trafficking in human beings, in order to raise public awareness of the seriousness of the issue of trafficking and forced prostitution? Have the Member States and representatives of civil society been involved, given that this kind of initiative should be supported by the largest possible number of people?

5. What measures has the Commission taken in agreement with Germany and the other Member States to alert embassies and consulates to the issue of forced prostitution and ask them to take the necessary steps to identify cases of trafficking in women and provide support for potential victims?