One for the kids

We learn from PA that the EU has begun a concerted campaign to promote children's rights - and in particular the Charter of Fundamental Rights to children themselves.

As well as a quiz, children can take part in a poster competition, whose mouthwatering prize is "a tour of the city and the European institutions and to attend a European award ceremony hosted by Vice-President Barrot."

Informing kids about their rights so they can be confident about defending themselves is obviously laudable (albeit not necessarily something the EU should be getting involved in). But as with all of these types of EU youth initatives, the underlying aim is in fact the promotion of the EU itself:

As the small print (the "Teaching Kit") reads:

"This participation is also meant to be a tool for educating active European citizens by uncovering the eminent role of European institutions in the defence and protection of individuals and particularly children."

Among the objectives for children to aim for are:

"Being able to give practical examples of the importance of European decisions in the implementation of better child protection"

and

"Being able to cite and briefly describe the programmes and actions of the Council of Europe and the European Union. "

And as part of the poster-making task, the teachers "Educators" are instructed to ensure that the children have "properly thought about how to show the EU in some way."