Mr VITORINO, European Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs, welcomed the approach of the KARAMANOU report during the debate. However, while agreeing with the aims of certain amendments, he could not accept those that were covered by other legal instruments. The amendment setting an age limit of 16 years seemed, in his opinion, to interfere with national law. He particularly stressed the impact which this could have on the age of consent concept. Accordingly, the Commission was prepared to set a limit of 12 years. Nor could the Commissioner accept the amendments on extraterritoriality but he was prepared to continue the discussion on this point. Finally, he highlighted the prospect of failure if common penalties were not adopted in the European Union.