Overview
Lobbying Costs
926,044€
Financial year: Jan 2015 - Dec 2015
Lobbyists (Full time equivalent)
12 Fte (12)
Lobbyists with EP accreditation
0
High-level Commission meetings
4
Lobbying Costs over the years
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Info
The Smile of the Child (TSOC)
EU Transparency Register
66055258617-28 First registered on 18 Apr 2012
Goals / Remit
‘The Smile of the Child’, in Greek “To Xαμόγελο του Παιδιού”, is the largest internationally recognized non-profit, Non-Governmental Organization in Greece in the critical field of child protection, search and rescue of missing children, support of children and families with children in need, as well as free public health service for children, both in prevention and treatment.
The Organization was created in 1996 by Costas Yannopoulos, inspired by the wish of well-being for all children in the world, expressed by his ten-year old son Andreas before he succumbed to brain cancer. Over its 20 years of activity ‘The Smile of the Child’ has made a difference for more than one million children and their families, without distinction of background, origin, religion or any other criterion. The 452 personnel (social workers, psychologists, ambulance staff, etc.) and the 2.461 active volunteers create a substantial impact, earning ‘The Smile of the Child’ both nationwide and international recognition. This recognition is reflected in a series of MOUs with national authorities and institutions and active, even leading positions of ‘The Smile of the Child’ in international fora, as shown in the list in annex.
In order to achieve this goal, the organization implements wide range of programs and activities for the welfare and protection of physical and psychological health, as well as for the safety of thousands of children in need in Greece, on a 24/7 basis, 365 days a year.
The summary of the activities of “The Smile of the Child” involves:
- Operation of 10 community homes in Greece where children are referred upon the order of the public prosecutor for minors
- Operation of 3 day care centers for children in need of psychological and/or social support
o Operation of the National Helpline for Children “SOS 1056”
- Operation of the 116000 – European hotline for missing children
- Operation of the 116111-European Helpline for Children and Adolescents
- Coordination of a child alert system AMBER ALERT HELLAS (with the cooperation of public and private institutions).
- Emergency intervention in cases of children in danger by operating the National Centre for Immediate Social Intervention.
- Operating National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.
- Development of the South-eastern European Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (SEEC)
- Mobile Medical Units & State-of-the-art ambulances in the emergency service’s (EKAV) disposal nationwide, for the safe transport of children and newborns.
- Preventive Medicine and Dentistry at schools and isolated areas nationwide, carried out by the organization’s mobile medical units
- Information, prevention, and awareness programmes for children, parents, and teachers in schools across the country, as well as in a mobile unit ODYSSEUS
- Support in necessary goods children and families with welfare problemsMain EU files targeted
o Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union
o EU Agenda for the Rights of the Child, 2011
-Investing in children: breaking the cycle of disadvantage, 2013
-Directive 2011/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 April 2011 on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims
-Directive 2011/93/EU on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography
-EU Strategy towards eradication of trafficking in human beings 2012-2016
- White Paper: Recommendations to the EC for the expansion of Victor Info-Desks in EU countries. available here: http://www.victorproject.eu/media/uploads_file/2015/07/16/p19qbc672g8hn1n3juq11u4jqc0v.pdfAddress
Head Office
1 Sp. Loui str., Marousi, Athens, Greece
Athens
GREECEEU Office
Wittebroodhof 12, 9052 Gent
Gent 15124
BELGIUM -
People
Total lobbyists declared
12
Employment time Lobbyists 100% 12 Lobbyists (Full time equivalent)
12
Lobbyists with EP accreditation
No lobbyists with EP accreditations
Complementary Information
The Smile of the Child has 452 full-time staff members plus 2.461 active volunteers.
As far the activities of the organization related to the Transparency Register are concerned, the involved staff members are 12 full time employees.Person in charge of EU relations
Ms Piji Protopsaltis (International Cooperation and Programs Coordinator)
Person with legal responsibility
Mr Konstantinos Giannopoulos (President, Board of Directors)
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Categories
Category
III - Non-governmental organisations
Subcategory
Non-governmental organisations, platforms and networks and similar
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Networking
Affiliation
Member of the Board of Directors of the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC)
Member of CHI (Child Helpline International)
Member of the Global Missing Children’s Network (GMCN)
Member of the Board of Directors of the Missing Children Europe (MCE)
Member of Eurochild
Member of European Emergency Number Association (EENA)
Member of EU Civil Society Platform Against THB
Member of the EU Fundamental Rights Platform
“Special Consultative Status” with the UN Economic and Social Council
Associated with the UN’s Department of Public Information
Founding member of European Antibullying Network
Member of the European Network Educ-EuropeMember organisations
None declared
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Financial Data
Closed financial year
Jan 2015 - Dec 2015
Lobbying costs for closed financial year
926,044€
EU grant income for closed financial year
99,892 € (Source: EU funds)
Other financial info
The data for the financial year of 2016 will be available in early June and we will proceed with the necessary update of our information in the Register.
2015 financial statements were externally audited by Ernst & Young.
Public financing refers to any non private funding.
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EU Structures
Groups (European Commission)
EU Civil Society Platform against Trafficking in Human Beings
NoneACC
None
Groups (European Parliament)
None
Communication activities
As coordinator and founding member of the European Anti-bullying Network (EAN), “The Smile of the Child” organized the 2nd International Conference of the network at the heart of EU institutions, the premises of the European Parliament in Brussels, under the aegis of Greek MEP Miltiadis Kyrkos (S&D Group) and with the participation of Greek and other Members of the European Parliament, as well as representatives of international, European and national organizations.
One of the projects that was completed in 2015 was “VICTOR – Victims of Child Trafficking – Our Responsibility” implemented under the EU Programme “Prevention of and Fight against Crime” (ISEC) of the DG Home Affairs in collaboration with 13 partners, public and private, from 7 Southeastern European countries. VICTOR developed a policy paper in order to identify the issues at stake and present it to national stakeholders, to the Office of the EU Anti-trafficking Coordinator and to the EU Civil Society Platform against Trafficking in Human Beings. As part of the VICTOR project an awareness raising campaign on child trafficking was implemented in Bulgaria, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Slovenia, Serbia, and Ukraine providing information and guidance.
The organization shared its rich experience in the area as partner to another project titled CATCH & SUSTAIN (European Cross-Actors Exchange Platform for Trafficked Children on Methodology Building for Prevention and Sustainable Inclusion) carried out by a consortium from Italy, Greece, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, the UK and Luxembourg. The final conference took place in March 2015 in Brussels.
The project INTERSYC- “Integrated Territorial Synergies for Children Health and Protection”, which was coordinated by the organization, was selected as the best proposal of Interreg 25 years Project Slam contest winning the 1st place award among INTERREG implemented projects across the EU. The Project Slam was part of the Conference “25 years of INTERREG” and took place in September 2015 in Luxembourg under the Luxembourgish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the European Commission and INTERACT and the presence of the Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Crețu as well as other EU public officials.
On the occasion of 17 May, International Child Helpline Day, “The Smile of the Child” took part in Free Our Voices global campaign organized by Amsterdam-based Child Helpline International (CHI). CHI is the global network of 192 child helplines in 145 countries which together receive over 14 million contacts a year from children and young people in need of care and protection.
Microsoft Hellas in collaboration with “The Smile of the Child” held a special event on the occasion of Safer Internet Day on 10th of February in order to raise awareness among young people on safety issues and the proper use of the internet.
2015 was an important year for the youth activities of the Greek NGO as “You Smile” developed into a European Initiative of youth participation and engagement building upon the important work and experience done during the previous years by more than 300 young volunteers. In this regard and on the occasion of 11 December, International Children’s Day, “The Smile of the Child” launched in Athens the European expansion of its “You Smile” initiative, the European Student Volunteer Network. In addition, a delegation of young volunteers of “You Smile” visited the Representation of the European Commission and the European Parliament Office in Athens and presented their activities and vision for the expansion of the network Europe-wide. On the occasion of its launch “You Smile” received a statement from the Head of the Children's Rights Division and Children's Rights Coordinator of the Council of Europe, Regina Jensdóttir, on the importance of youth participation, a message that was conveyed that day by children on behalf of the Council of Europe.Other activities
ONGOING PROJECTS
• Partner of the project “CONVEY - COunteracting sexual Violence and harassment: Engaging Youth in schools in digital education on gender stereotyping” with financial support from the REC Programme of the European Union (2016-2019)
• Coordinator of the project “Sustainable Alliance For Missing Children in Greece [SAFE]” with financial support from the REC Programme of the European Union (2016-2018)
• Partner in the project “Nothilfe für Flüchtline und Asylsuchende in Serbien und Griechenland” with financial support by the German Government/ Foreign Office in Berlin (under the German Humanitarian Assistance fund) (2016-2017)
• The Smiling Houses (Programme “Housing and Reintegration” of the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Social Solidarity) (2015-2016)
• Building Healthy Intimate Relationships – Gender Equality Awareness Raising against Intimate Partner Violence II (GEAR against IPV II) with financial support from the DAPHNE III Programme of the European Union (2014-2016)
• Strengthening existing child rights networks to act as a movement to amplify the voices of children - linking international to national and local – TURKEY (Delegation of the European Union in Turkey, Europe Aid) (2015-2017)
COMPLETED PROJECTS
• Safeguarding Unaccompanied Migrant Minors from going Missing by Identifying Best Practices and Training Actors on Interagency Cooperation-SUMMIT (European Commission, DG Home Affairs) (2014-2016)
• Minimizing violence through quality control: Monitoring & evaluating 116000 hotlines to prevent, support and protect missing children (with financial support from the DAPHNE III Programme of the European Union) (2014-2016)
• The House of the Child: Day care center of customized clinical mental health services for therapeutic treatment and psychosocial rehabilitation of children and adolescents victims of any form of abuse or bullying [Operational Programme "Human Resources Development" of the NSRF 2007-2013, co-financed by the Ministry of Health and the European Social Fund] (2014-2015)
• European Antibullying Network (EAN), with financial support from the DAPHNE Programme of the European Union (2013-2014)
• VICTOR – Victims of Child Trafficking- Our Responsibility, with financial support from the DG Home Affairs (2013-2015)
• INTERSYC - Integrated Territorial Synergies for Children Health and Protection, co-funded by the European Union (European Regional Development Fund - ERDF) (2013-2015)
• NET FOR U - Needs Tackling and Networks Tracing for Unaccompanied Minors Integration with financial support from the DG Home Affairs (2012-2014)
• Catch and Sustain - European Cross – Actors Exchange Platform for Trafficked Children on methodology Building for Prevention and Sustainable Inclusion, DG Home Affairs (2013-2015)
• Preventing social exclusion of children from families living in poverty or affected by violence - to promote, develop and improve European competences and solutions in this area (Lifelong Learning Programme - Leonardo da Vinci) (2013-2015)
• Europe Antibulling Campaign (E – ABC) with financial support from the DAPHNE Programme of the European Union (2011-2013)
• European Child Alert Automated System (ECAAS) with financial support from the DAPHNE Programme of the European Union
• A Customer Relationship Management and Data Collection Software
• 116000 European Network
• Development of Action Plan for networking and coordination of services and social solidarity agencies targeted to the child, Ministry of Health and Social Solidarity, Operational Programme Health – Welfare
• Corfu’s Smiles – Job creation at a local level through programs of social nature services in the Region of Ionian Islands.
Meetings
Meetings
4 meetings found. Download meetings
The list below only covers meetings held since November 2014 with commissioners, their cabinet members or directors-general at the European Commission; other lobby meetings with lower-level staff may have taken place, but the European Commission doesn't proactively publish information about these meetings. For more information about which commissioner is responsible for which portfolio, check out this link: https://commissioners.ec.europa.eu/index_en All information below comes from European Commission web pages.
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Date 22 Mar 2022 Location video conference Subject Europe's Beating Cancer Plan, support to pediatric cancer patients in Ukraine Cabinet Cabinet of Commissioner Stella Kyriakides Portfolio Health Attending - Stella Kyriakides (Commissioner)
- Tove Ernst (Cabinet member)
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Date 12 Mar 2020 Location Athens Subject Discussion on the current situation in Greece Cabinet Cabinet of Commissioner Ylva Johansson Portfolio Home Affairs Attending - Alexandra Cupsan-Catalin (Cabinet member)
- Brian Synnott (Cabinet member)
- Ylva Johansson (Commissioner)
Other Lobbyists -
Date 21 Nov 2017 Location Brussels Subject Children - Humanitarian Aid Cabinet Cabinet of Commissioner Christos Stylianides Portfolio Humanitarian Aid & Crisis Management Attending - Christos Stylianides (Commissioner)
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Date 24 Feb 2015 Location Brussels Belgium Subject Actions on issues of unaccompanied children and abused children Cabinet Cabinet of Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos Portfolio Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Attending - Dimitris Avramopoulos (Commissioner)