On the 26th of May 2011, the conference “European Migrant Children: What Protection”:http://tdh-childprotection.org/news/mario-project-partners-raise-awaren… hosted by Bulgarian MEP Mariya Nedelcheva was organized by ECPAT Bulgaria, ECPAT Netherlands, the Nobody’s Children Foundation, Save the Children in Albania and Terre des hommes in the framework of the Mario project. The conference aimed at drawing the attention of European institutions and EU Member States to the lack of protection of migrant children who hold citizenship of one EU Member State and who are involved in street based activities in another Member State, either travelling alone or within their families. A “research report”:http://tdh-childprotection.org/documents/vulnerability-to-exploitation-… was presented outlining the vulnerability of Bulgarian children in Greece to trafficking and exploitation. Drawing on these findings as well as on evidence of similar situations in other EU Member States, an open discussion took place with Members of the European Parliament, European Commission officials, Bulgarian and Greek government representatives and NGOs. In the course of the debate, the positive commitments of the EU to children’s rights as enshrined in the Treaty of Lisbon and the EU Charter on Fundamental Rights were recognized whilst acknowledging the lack of general competence of the EU on national child protection systems. Participants however referred to a series of EU policy instruments designed to guide EU action in the upcoming years to foster the protection of children. Among others, the European Commission (EC) communication An EU Agenda for the rights of the Child is considered as a useful starting base as it sets out a number of political priorities and aims at mainstreaming children’s rights in all EU policies. The recently approved “Europe 2020 strategy” and the EU framework for National Roma integration strategies recently issued by the European Union are also relevant when addressing the issue of European children who leave their place of origin. The Mario project partners wish to reflect on these different policies and on relevant EU primary and secondary law , as well as on the discussions held during the conference, to recommend actions that could bring about positive changes in the lives of vulnerable European children who moved from one Member State to another.