Node called to speak to Greek Parliament The Special Permanent Committee on Technology and Research of the Greek Parliament organised a series of sessions around the Internet and in particular the issue of Internet addiction.

They invited several personalities (the minister of Education, the Special Secretary for Digital Planning, the Head of the Computer Crime Unit of the Greek Police, and other experts) to express their points of view on the problem and submit their suggestions for actions that should be undertaken as well as possible future legislation.

Among the experts, the Committee invited the Greek Node’s Coordinator, Veronica Samara, to speak on Wednesday 19 March 2008. On that occasion, the Greek Node submitted to the committee a position paper containing: a) information on the on-going awareness campaign (SafeNetHomePlus project) and b) the node’s opinions and suggestions for the Greek Parliament’s implementation of more effective internet safety measures in Greece.

The Node focused on 3 issues:

1. Media literacy, proposing its inclusion in the school curriculum,
2. internet addiction and internet cafes, highlighting the urgency for regulation, and
3. the emerging issue of cyber-bullying, especially through the use of mobile phones, which can be overcome with proper education and awareness raising (also through a special ‘media literacy’ subject in school).

Following the committee’s kind request, the Greek Node submitted 25 copies of the FAQ and ABC booklets to the 25 members of the committee. The minutes of the Parliamentary proceedings will be assembled into an overall report which will be discussed in a special session of the Committee with all participating experts, at the end of May 2008. The final report including the propositions which the committee considers important will be disseminated to all 300 members of the Greek Parliament for further discussion.