9 Amendments of Daniel BUDA related to 2021/2036(INI)
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas independent journalism anand impartial journalism and unhindered access to pluralistic and accurate information are key pillars of democracy; whereas the freedom of expression of civil society is essential for any democracy to thrive;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas SLAPPs have become an increasingly widespread practice used against journalists, academics, civil society and NGOs, and in general against freedom of expression and access to accurate information, as demonstrated by many cases throughout the Union, such as the chilling case of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was reportedly facing 47 civil and criminal defamation lawsuits, (resulting in the freezing of her assets) on the day of her strongly condemned assassination on 16 October 2017, and the lawsuits her heirs continue to face; whereas other illustrative and alarming cases include Realtid Media, which was repeatedly threatened with a lawsuit in a different jurisdiction from where the reporting in question took place, and Gazeta WyborczGazeta, which continues to be sued by a number of public entities and officials on a regular basis;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas SLAPPs within the Union are often cross-border in nature, which results in reporting delays or incomplete information, as illustrated in many cases, often relating to cases of environmental protection, financial fraud and/or corruption, where they constitute a clear attempt to delay publication of information or transmit incomplete information, by halting or discrediting the work of individual journalists and publishing entities, hence depriving citizens of their right to full and accurate information;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Highlights that SLAPPs are a direct attack on the exercise of fundamental rights and freedoms, and represent a genuine obstacle to such exercise; underlines that fundamental rights and democracy are linkedherent to upholding the rule of law, and that undermining media freedom and public democratic participation, along with hindering access to full and accurate information, threatens Union values as enshrined in Article 2 of the TEU; welcomes the fact that the rule of law report includes SLAPP lawsuits in its assessment of media freedom and pluralism across the Union, and points to best practices in countering them; calls for the annual report to include a thorough assessment of the legal environment for the media, and investigative journalism in particular, with the emphasis on the protection of whistle-blowers;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Emphasises that public participation and involvement also hasve an important role to play in the proper functioning of the internal market, as it is often through increased public participation that breaches of Union law, corruption and other practices threatening the proper functioning of the internal market are made known to the public;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Highlights that in recent years online hate speech has become increasingly widespread against journalists, NGOs, academics and civil society, including those defending LGBTQI rights, thus threatening media freedom, freedom of expression and public safety given that online hate speech can incite real-world violence, especially among the young; points to the need to publicise the Code of Conduct on Countering Illegal Hate Speech Online, as promoted by the Commission;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses that SLAPPs are often meritless, frivolous or based on exaggerated claims, and that they are not initiated for the purposes of obtaining a favourable judicial outcome but rather, in most cases, only to intimidate, harass, tire out, put psychological pressure on or consume the financial resources of journalists, academics, civil society and NGOs, with the ultimate objective of blackmailing and forcing them into silence or unjustifiably delaying the publication of accurate information, through the judicial procedure itself; points out that this chilling effect can lead to self- censorship, suppressing participation in democratic life and censoring of freedom of expression, and can also encourage a practice of discouragesing others from undertaking similar actions, from entering into these professions or from proceeding with relevant associated activities;
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Regrets that no Member State has so far enacted targeted legislation to provide protection against SLAPPs; notes however that anti-SLAPP legislation is particularly well-developed in the states of the United States, in Australia and Canada; encourages the Commission to analyse anti-SLAPP best practices currently applied outside the EU which could provide valuable inspiration for Union legislative and non-legislative measures on the matter; notes that a harmonised approach is needed in the process of proposing legislative and non-legislative measures within the Union; underlines the importance of committing to the most ambitious legislation and best-practices currently in force which would discourage the use of SLAPPs in the Union;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Considers that it is essential to adopt harmonised rules at EU level and a legislative measure protecting the role of journalists, academics, civil society and NGOs in preventing breaches of Union law and ensuring the proper functioning of the internal market and full respect for fundamental rights; urges the Commission to present a proposal for legislation that sets out harmonised safeguards for persons investigating and reporting on these matters of public interest;