2017/2209(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Draft opinion
Paragraph –1 (new)

-1. Recalls that freedom of expression and information is a fundamental right as provided for in Article 11 of the Charter of the Fundamental Rights of the European Union and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;

Amendment 10 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Highlights that citizens in order to actively and effectively participate in the public life and take part in political debates need to be properly and fully informed;

Amendment 11 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. ~~Recall~~Insists that the ~~formation of public opinion is based upon a social pact between citizens and media professionals aimed at influencing those in power for the purposes of general interes~~reasons for the growing public mistrust of media should be openly and seriously sought; notes with the gravest concern that the financing system for the press has collapsed, resulting in dominant media players using information to pursue political and commercial propaganda objectives, thereby dramatically lowering the quality of information and giving rise to phenomena such as ‘fake news’, sensationalism, ideological and personal bias;

Amendment 12 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Recalls that the formation of public opinion is based upon a social pact between citizens and media professionals aimed at influencing those in power for the purposes of common general interest; notes withat the ~~gravest concern that~~business model of and the financing system for the press has collapsed, resulting in dominant media players using information to pursue political and commercial propaganda objectives, thereby dramatically lowering the quality of information and giving rise to phenomena such as ‘fake news’traditional printed press has dramatically changed, resulting in changes of the traditional media landscape and that this can, in certain cases, exacerbate the well-known phenomenon of dominant media players using information to pursue political and commercial propaganda objectives, thereby dramatically lowering the quality of information; notes nonetheless that, with a consistent legal framework, digitalisation has the potential to foster competition between media actors and democratise access to and creation of information;

Amendment 13 #

Marc JOULAUD, Santiago FISAS AYXELÀ, Bogdan Brunon WENTA, Sabine VERHEYEN, Tadeusz ZWIEFKA, Milan ZVER

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Recalls that ~~the formation of public opinion is based upon a social pact between citizens and media professionals aimed at influencing those in pow~~media professionals have the task of informing both citizens and political decision-makers for the purposes of general interest; notes with the gravest concern that the financing system for the press has collapsed, resulting in ~~dominant media players using information to pursue political and commercial propaganda objectives, thereby dramatically lowering~~media ownership being concentrated in the hands of an ever-decreasing number of players, a situation which lends itself to manipulation of information, thus making it more likely that the quality of information ~~and giving rise to~~will be lowered and phenomena such as ‘fake news’ will thrive;

Amendment 14 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Recalls that the formation of public opinion is based upon a ~~social pac~~relation of trust between citizens and media professionals aimed at inf~~luenc~~orming th~~ose in power~~e public for the purposes of general interest; notes with the gravest concern that the financing system for the press has collapsed, ~~resulting in dominant media players using information to pursue political and commercial propaganda objectives,~~threatening media pluralism as well as the quality of information; salutes therefore the proposal of the Commission to provide news publishers with the right to authorise the re~~by dramatically lowering the quality of information and giving rise to phenomena such as ‘fake news’~~production and making available of their press publications online, in order to favour a balanced relationship with online business players and the fair share of the revenues generated by press publications online;

Amendment 15 #

Damian DRĂGHICI, Giorgos GRAMMATIKAKIS, Julie WARD, Krystyna ŁYBACKA, Momchil NEKOV

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Recalls that the formation of public opinion is based upon a social pact between citizens and media professionals aimed at ~~influencing those in power~~fostering a culture of public accountability and transparency for the purposes of general interest; notes with the gravest concern that the financing system for the press ~~has collapsed, resulting in~~faces many challenges, resulting in a high concentration of media ownership and dominant media players using information to pursue political, social and commercial propaganda objectives, thereby dramatically lowering the quality, diversity, reliability and trustworthiness of information and giving rise to phenomena such as ‘fake news’;

Amendment 16 #

María Teresa GIMÉNEZ BARBAT, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. ~~Recalls that the formation of public opinion is based upon a social pact between citizens and media professionals aimed at influencing those in power for the purposes of general interest; n~~Notes with the gravest concern that the financing system for the press has collapsed, resulting in dominant media players using information to pursue political ~~and commercial propaganda~~ objectives, thereby dramatically lowering the quality of information and giving rise to phenomena such as ‘fake news’; warns about the interference of foreign powers in Member States’ internal affairs, be it through propaganda campaigns or disinformation, in order to weaken the Union and threaten our democratic systems, while trying to interfere in the electoral processes;

Amendment 17 #

Marc JOULAUD, Santiago FISAS AYXELÀ, Bogdan Brunon WENTA, Tadeusz ZWIEFKA, Milan ZVER

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Recalls that the formation of public opinion is based upon a social pact between citizens and media professionals aimed at influencing those in power for the purposes of general interest; notes with the gravest concern that the financing system for the press ~~has collapsed~~is under serious threat, resulting in dominant media players using information to pursue political and commercial propaganda objectives, thereby dramatically lowering the quality of information and giving rise to phenomena such as ‘fake news’;

Amendment 18 #

Jana TOOM

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Believes that an efficient strategy to counteract fake news and anti-EU propaganda could be the adoption of measures to provide a target audience with adequate and interesting information about EU activities, European values and other issues of public interest and underlines that modern technologies and social networks could be used for these purposes; highlights the importance of the IFJ Declaration of Principles on the Conduct of Journalists; stresses the necessity of providing European journalists, especially those working in lesser used and minority languages, with adequate training and retraining opportunities; supports relevant initiatives aimed at vulnerable minority groups, such as the pilot project on Internship opportunities for minority language media;

Amendment 19 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Notes that in the context of a weakened media landscape combined with the digital revolution, the phenomenon known as “fake news” is a rising and worrying trend, where false or highly biased information are widely disseminated for a political motive, including under the direct or indirect patronage of certain third countries; underlines its negative effects that were observed over the past couple of years, such as during the “Brexit” referendum campaign and other political events occurred in the Member States, when large numbers of citizens were influenced by this phenomenon to orientate their voting behaviour;

Amendment 2 #

Damian DRĂGHICI, Momchil NEKOV, Julie WARD, Krystyna ŁYBACKA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Emphasises that access to quality, free and independent information is a fundamental human right, that media ~~pluralism is the pillar of democrac~~freedom and pluralism are an essential pillar of democracy, sustainable economic growth, social cohesion and cultural diversity and that the media’s independence from political and economic p~~owers~~ressure and influences must be guaranteed accordingly;

Amendment 20 #

Morten LØKKEGAARD, María Teresa GIMÉNEZ BARBAT

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Notes that while strengthening the access of individuals to information in general, the emergence of social media has increased the risk of manipulated narratives, false stories and deliberate misinformation, commonly referred to as ‘fake news’ being disseminated; underlines the threat posed to the relationship of trust between the media and citizens; stresses how it harms trust in information in general and thereby poses a fundamental threat to liberal democracies;

Amendment 21 #

María Teresa GIMÉNEZ BARBAT

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Stresses that ethics of journalism is not an ethics of good but an ethics of truth :its primary mission is not to evaluate facts and opinions in the light of given morals but in the pursuit of the truth ;fact-checking achieved in that regard is then an important instrument for lighting the debate and stimulating critical thinking ;since none is absolutely neutral, fact-checking must be able to be fact-checked itself ;

Amendment 22 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Highlights that the spread of deliberate misinformation and ‘fake news’ is aligned with external political interests, as part of an “hybrid warfare” against the Union institutions and values; notes with concern the impunity of such activities, sometimes carried out by politically and economically motivated actors and so called “alternative” media personalities acting beyond the reach of European justice;

Amendment 23 #

Michaela ŠOJDROVÁ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Emphasises that public service media have irreplaceable role for media pluralism in Europe and that Member States must ensure that they function independently from political influences and are endowed with independent financial resources and management in order to serve their purpose with the best possible quality;

Amendment 24 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Takes note of the new challenges that traditional and new media are confronted with due to the rise of new technologies and digitalisation, such as the ‘filter bubble’ phenomenon linked to the extensive use of algorithms, the respect of the fundamental right to privacy or the improperly so-called phenomenon of ‘fake news’;

Amendment 25 #

Curzio MALTESE, Nikolaos CHOUNTIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Maintains that information should be termed ‘fake news’ if, and only if, it is factually incorrect and not, therefore, when it is accurate but presented in support of a political position at odds with prevailing political opinion;

Amendment 26 #

Damian DRĂGHICI, Momchil NEKOV, Krystyna ŁYBACKA, Julie WARD, Giorgos GRAMMATIKAKIS, Silvia COSTA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Urges the Commission to address the phenomena of fake news as an EU priority by developing a coherent and comprehensive counteracting strategy which takes into account possible legal actions and measures fostering high- quality and ethical journalism and strengthening media literacy among all EU citizens;

Amendment 27 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Recommends that Member States provide appropriate, proportionate and stable funding for public service media, thus ensuring it can fulfil its cultural, social and educational role, and contribute to an inclusive information society, while guaranteeing its independence from governmental influences;

Amendment 28 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Recalls that Member States should find ways to support media, by ensuring for example VAT neutrality as recommended in the resolution of the European Parliament of 13 October 2011 on the future of VAT , and by supporting initiatives related to media;

Amendment 29 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2b. Maintains that giving a political slant when presenting particular political or topical issues is intrinsic to engagement in politics and a sine qua non for the exercise of freedom of opinion, belief, and expression and that condemnation of the ‘fake news’ phenomenon should not be tantamount to political censure of political opinions at odds with the mainstream Western media view, still less should it be used to exert pressure on sovereign states via their official media organisations;

Amendment 3 #

Morten LØKKEGAARD, María Teresa GIMÉNEZ BARBAT

1. Emphasises that access to quality, free and independent information is a fundamental human right, that media pluralism ~~is the pillar of democracy and that the media’s independence from political and economic powers and influences must be guaranteed accordingly~~forms part of freedom of expression as enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, and is a pillar of democracy and that the media’s independence from political and economic powers must be guaranteed accordingly; recalls that the independence of media should be guaranteed by such powers in order to avoid any harassment or intimidation in such a way that influence the editorial content;

Amendment 30 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2b. Recalls that media professionals play a crucial role in the formation of public opinion; emphasises that independent media professionals are vital for the countering of deliberate misinformation and for the identification and debunking of ‘fake news’; calls, therefore, on the Commission and Member States to strengthen financial and legal support to independently operated media and investigative journalism organisations, while refraining from involvement in editorial decisions;

Amendment 31 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)

2c. Points out that a distinction has to be made between ‘fake news’ and illicit – that is to say, manifestly illegal – online content such as hate speech or incitements to violence, which is a matter for the criminal law of the Member States concerned and cannot, therefore, be the subject of a joint legislative act;

Amendment 32 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 d (new)

2d. Notes that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concern on 1 June 2017 about the German law on hate speech and ‘fake news’, as it considered some of its provisions to be incompatible with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted on 19 December 1966;points out, however, that, notwithstanding the disquiet expressed by the highest UN authorities, the German law in question entered into force on 2 October 2017 and the Commission, in a communication dated 28 September 2017, stated that it wishes to model its own legislation on that law;

Amendment 33 #

María Teresa GIMÉNEZ BARBAT, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 e (new)

2e. Maintains that the term ‘fake news’ should not be misused in a politically biased way against some media outlets, including official media organisations of certain non-EU countries, and that, by the same token, all objective acts of disinformation should be condemned, since respected official news organisations have sometimes disseminated and lent credence to questionable information for which the sources had not been fully verified, one example being CNN, which on at least one occasion has given credence to adverse reports concerning the US President, Donald Trump, that eventually proved to be inaccurate and unfounded;

Amendment 34 #

Morten LØKKEGAARD

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses that ~~online media pluralism is under serious threat from the excessive concentration of corporate power; asks~~the use of digital media has led to new opportunities as well as new challenges to media freedom and pluralism; calls on the Commission and ~~the~~ Member States, therefore, to overcome regulatory deficiencies in order to create legal clarity and consistency to ensure media freedom ~~and prevent the abuse of their dominant position by web giants~~;

Amendment 35 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses that ~~online media pluralism is under serious threat from the excessive concentration of corporate power; asks~~the use of digital media has led to new challenges and opportunities for media freedom and pluralism; calls on the Commission and the Member States~~, therefore,~~ to overcome regulatory deficiencies in order to create legal clarity and consistency to ensure media freedom ~~and prevent the abuse of their dominant position by web giants~~;

Amendment 36 #

Damian DRĂGHICI, Krystyna ŁYBACKA, Julie WARD, Giorgos GRAMMATIKAKIS

3. Stresses that online media pluralism is under serious threat from the excessive concentration of ~~corporate p~~media ownership; asks the Commission and the Member States, therefore, to overcome regulatory deficiencies in order to create legal clarity and consistency to ensure genuine diversity, findability and accessibility of media content and media freedom and prevent the abuse of their dominant position by web giants;

Amendment 37 #

Marc JOULAUD, Santiago FISAS AYXELÀ, Bogdan Brunon WENTA, Sabine VERHEYEN, Tadeusz ZWIEFKA, Milan ZVER

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses that ~~online~~ media pluralism, i~~s under serious threat from the~~ncluding in the online sphere, is under threat, especially when their ownership is excessively concentrat~~ion of corporate power~~ed; asks the Commission and the Member States, therefore, to overcome regulatory deficiencies in order to create legal clarity and consistency to ensure media freedom and prevent the abuse ~~of their~~from dominant p~~osition by web giant~~layers;

Amendment 38 #

3. Stresses that online media pluralism is under serious threat from the excessive concentration of corporate power, exploitation of dominant positions in the market and lack of compliance with competition and tax rules; asks the Commission and the Member States, therefore, to overcome regulatory deficiencies in order to create legal clarity and consistency to ensure media freedom and prevent the ~~abuse~~formation of dominant positions by web giants; furthermore, calls ofn the~~ir dominant position by web giant~~ Commission to develop and implement specific projects that can stimulate and help the birth of new European web media actors;

Amendment 39 #

María Teresa GIMÉNEZ BARBAT, Jana TOOM, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses that ~~online~~ media pluralism is under serious threat from the excessive concentration of corporate power which raises in particular the issue of editorial independence in a highly concentrated media universe and in several countries the collusion between interests of the media industry and politics; asks the Commission and the Member States, therefore, to overcome regulatory deficiencies in order to create legal clarity and consistency to ensure media freedom, that is to say free from any kind of external pressures or influences, and prevent the abuse of their dominant position by media and web giants;

Amendment 4 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Emphasises that access to quality, free and independent information is a fundamental human right, that media pluralism is the pillar of democracy and ~~that the media’s~~part of the rights and principles enshrined in the European Charter of Fundamental Rights and in the European Convention of Human Rights; the diversity of media and their independence from political and economic powers and influences must be guaranteed accordingly;

Amendment 40 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses that online media pluralism is under serious threat from the excessive concentration of corporate power; asks the Commission and the Member States, therefore, to overcome regulatory deficiencies in order to create legal clarity and consistency to ensure media freedom and prevent the abuse of their dominant position by web giants, through a modernised EU competition policy that ensures fair competition in the European media sector in the context of online convergence and the growing role of online platforms as intermediaries and through a regulatory framework that makes licensing of commercial use of copyright protected press articles compulsory, thus ensuring a fair remuneration of press publishers and ultimately of journalists;

Amendment 41 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses that online media pluralism is under serious threat from the excessive concentration of corporate power; asks the Commission and the Member States, therefore, to overcome regulatory deficiencies in order to create legal clarity and consistency to ensure media freedom and prevent the abuse of their dominant position by web giants since this would also run counter to the very concept of media pluralism; stresses in this regard that media ownership structures must be transparent and that national regulatory authorities shall monitor this aspect in particular;

Amendment 42 #

Morten LØKKEGAARD, Jana TOOM

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Calls on the Commission to lead by example of respect for the freedom and the independence of journalists, which henceforth implies to refrain from subsidising guidelines telling them how to handle such and such a topic, as for instance a “Reporting on migration and minorities – approach and guidelines”, from supporting “training” activities, biased seminars or trips for journalists, and more generally any propaganda operation that non only doesn’t increase the popularity of the EU but undermines the dignity of the profession and a pillar of democracy;

Amendment 43 #

Damian DRĂGHICI, Momchil NEKOV, Krystyna ŁYBACKA, Julie WARD, Giorgos GRAMMATIKAKIS, Silvia COSTA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Calls on the Commission to continue to support the Media Pluralism Monitor tool and to encourage its further development for a comprehensive and accurate assessment of the risks to media pluralism in the EU; encourages the Commission, Member States and all relevant stakeholders to promptly address the highlighted risks by taking appropriate measures;

Amendment 44 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to establish an EU-wide system of statutory self-regulation to ensure that media actors engage, negotiate and institute their own ethical standards for online information - without direct political involvement;

Amendment 45 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Maintains that pluralism is an obligation in public service media and journalists’ claims to be neutral cannot be deemed sufficient to meet it;

Amendment 46 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Recommends the European Commission to develop a sectorial strategy for the European media sector to foster innovation and sustainability of media;

Amendment 47 #

Damian DRĂGHICI, Krystyna ŁYBACKA, Julie WARD, Giorgos GRAMMATIKAKIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Maintains that the disaffection among ordinary Europeans with traditional media can be explained in part by the inadequate diversity of opinion and expression within the media and the widening gap between the shades of public opinion and the opinion conveyed by the media; points out that several recognised studies have highlighted the narrow range of views held by media representatives, which is out of step with the world population in general, and that, according to a recent study by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, 70% of journalists in the public service Swiss Broadcasting Corporation place themselves on the left of the political spectrum;

Amendment 48 #

Morten LØKKEGAARD

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Notes that much of the information that traditional media outlets produce is now available both online and on traditional platforms, and that these therefore remain subject to national media regulations; recalls that this is not the case for strictly online media platforms, leading to unfair competition between strictly online media and traditional media outlets; notes that similar services with similar features should have similar regulations; calls for harmonisation of rules and media regulations to ensure a level playing field;

Amendment 49 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Notes with concern that access to media by minorities, local and regional communities, women and people with disabilities is at risk as highlighted by the 2016 Media Pluralism Monitor; underlines that an inclusive media is essential in an open, free and pluralistic media landscape and therefore calls on the Commission and Member States to encourage and support research, projects and policies that improve access to media and enhance opportunities for participation and expression for all citizens;

Amendment 5 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Emphasises that access to quality, free and independent information is a fundamental ~~human right,~~to achieve a pluralistic society as set out in Article 2 of TEU and that media pluralism is the pillar of democracy and th~~at th~~erefore media’s independence from political and economic powers and private influences must be guaranteed accordingly;

Amendment 50 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Stresses that media pluralism and quality of information are also under threat when free competition is distorted by certain practices :in that regard, Public Service Media have a particular obligation not to disrupt private media’s work, for instance by copying on their websites the content of private media ;encourages the Commission to look into this issue to ensure that publicly funded media do not act in a way that can violate the competition rules through its public funding ;

Amendment 51 #

Damian DRĂGHICI, Krystyna ŁYBACKA, Julie WARD, Giorgos GRAMMATIKAKIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)

3c. Maintains that unrepresentativeness of this kind and the lack of diversity of opinion among media players affect news coverage: during the American presidential campaign, for example, according to the BBC, 200 newspapers supported the Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton, whereas only 20 backed the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, who in the end polled about 63 million popular votes and secured a majority within the electoral college, thereby winning the presidency of the United States;

Amendment 52 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)

3c. Underlines that a non- discriminatory, comprehensive and balanced media coverage is essential to a free, inclusive and well-informed society in Europe; highlights that national media, in particular public service media, have an important responsibility to adequately reflect the cultural, linguistic, social and political diversity and to inform citizens extensively about all topics that affect and are relevant to their everyday life, including EU policies and news;

Amendment 53 #

Damian DRĂGHICI, Momchil NEKOV, Krystyna ŁYBACKA, Julie WARD, Giorgos GRAMMATIKAKIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 d (new)

3d. Calls on the Commission and Member States to promote and encourage cross-border cooperation projects and co- productions between media actors in the EU in order to strengthen European media, highlight its diversity and promote intercultural dialogue;

Amendment 54 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Highlights the fact that freedom of information in Europe is being jeopardised by increasing intimidation of and acts of aggression against journalists, as proven by the recent murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia; underlines that whistle-blowing is an essential element for investigative journalism and freedom of press; recalls that journalists can be subject to legal prosecution rather than legal protection when, acting in the public interest, they disclose information or report suspected misconduct, wrongdoing, fraud or illegal activity; therefore calls on the Commission to set up a framework for a common European legislation to protect whistle-blowers and journalists;

Amendment 55 #

Damian DRĂGHICI, Momchil NEKOV, Krystyna ŁYBACKA, Julie WARD, Giorgos GRAMMATIKAKIS, Silvia COSTA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Highlights the fact that freedom of expression and information in Europe is being jeopardised by increasing intimidation of and acts of aggression against journalists, as proven by the recent murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia; calls on Member States to ensure that their legal frameworks and low-enforcement practices guarantee appropriate protection, assistance and support for journalists and other media actors, while paying special attention to the specific dangers faced by women journalists;

Amendment 56 #

Morten LØKKEGAARD

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Highlights the fact that freedom of information in Europe is being jeopardised by increasing intimidation of and acts of aggression against journalists~~, as proven by the recent murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia~~;

Amendment 57 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Highlights the fact that freedom of information in Europe is being jeopardised by increasing intimidation of and coward acts of aggression against journalists~~, as proven by the recent murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia~~ carried out by organised crime and other opaque interest groups, as proven by the recent murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia or the attacks against journalists occurred recently in Italy;

Amendment 58 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Highlights the fact that freedom of information in Europe is being jeopardised by increasing intimidation of and acts of aggression against journalists, as proven by the recent ~~murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia~~assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia; reiterates in this regard that Member States have to safeguard the fundamental human right of freedom of expression of journalists to impart information by ensuring the protection and the facilitation of their work, as well as the fundamental right of the general public to receive that same information; emphasises the particular situation of investigative journalists, as well as the protection of the sources of all journalists;

Amendment 59 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Acknowledges the successful establishment of the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) in the context of a European Union pilot project and highlights the ECPMF’s well- known work to counter attacks on press and media freedom through systematic recording of violations of media freedom in Europe and offering direct support to journalists and media freedom activists under threat and at risk of becoming victims of violence; asks the Commission to develop the necessary tools and provide the necessary funding to make the ECPMF a permanent EU structure;

Amendment 6 #

Damian DRĂGHICI, Momchil NEKOV, Krystyna ŁYBACKA, Julie WARD, Giorgos GRAMMATIKAKIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Emphasises that access to quality, free and independent information is a fundamental human right, that media pluralism is, political and intellectual, is one of the pillars of democracy and that the media’s independence from ~~political and economic~~external powers and influences of any kind must be guaranteed accordingly;

Amendment 60 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Recalls its resolution of 24 October 2017 on legitimate measures to protect whistle-blowers acting in the public interest when disclosing the confidential information of companies and public bodies; urges the Commission to present as soon as possible a legislative proposal that will guarantee a high level of protection for whistle-blowers in the EU;

Amendment 61 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Points out that the Commission has refused to set up an independent committee of inquiry to investigate this murder and is thus ignoring the call made on 2 November 2017 by eight international news organisations;

Amendment 62 #

Damian DRĂGHICI, Momchil NEKOV, Krystyna ŁYBACKA, Julie WARD, Giorgos GRAMMATIKAKIS, Silvia COSTA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4b. Underlines that the rise of hate speech, abuse and threats in online spaces highlighted by the 2016 Eurobarometer survey on media pluralism and democracy, needs to be addressed in order to safeguard freedom of expression and diversity of opinions in online media; calls on the Commission to further assess online abuse and its effects and take appropriate measures to effectively prevent and counteract it;

Amendment 63 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4b. Points out that the Commission was aware of Malta’s shortcomings regarding the rule of law and freedom of expression, as its own media pluralism watchdog had expressed reservations on those points back in 2016;

Amendment 64 #

María Teresa GIMÉNEZ BARBAT, Jana TOOM

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)

4c. Points out that whereas the Commission has already used its powers to impose sanctions on sovereign states, for example Hungary, it has so far done nothing to address the fact that Malta has been found wanting as regards press freedom and the rule of law;

Amendment 65 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Underlines that media professionals often work in precarious conditions with regard to their employment contracts, salaries and social ~~guarantee~~benefits, which compromises their ability to work appropriately and thus ~~hampers media freedom~~affects the availability of high-quality, impartial and independent news and information;

Amendment 66 #

Damian DRĂGHICI, Krystyna ŁYBACKA, Julie WARD

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Underlines that media professionals, especially the youngest ones, too often work in precarious conditions with regard to their contracts, salaries, social and ~~soci~~legal guarantees, which compromises their ability to work appropriately and thus hampers media freedom;

Amendment 67 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Underlines that media professionals often work in precarious conditions with regard to their contracts, salaries and social guarantees, which compromises their ability to work appropriately and thus hampers media freedom; stresses the need to reinforce co-operation between journalists and trade unions; calls on Member States and media organisations to ensure just and fair working conditions for media professionals;

Amendment 68 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Underlines that media professionals often work in precarious conditions with regard to their contracts, salaries and social guarantees, which compromises their ability to work appropriately and thus hampers media freedom; encourages the media sector to safeguard gender equality in media policy and practice, through co- regulatory mechanisms, internal codes of conduct and other voluntary actions;

Amendment 69 #

Marc JOULAUD, Santiago FISAS AYXELÀ, Bogdan Brunon WENTA, Sabine VERHEYEN, Tadeusz ZWIEFKA, Milan ZVER

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Underlines that media professionals often work in precarious conditions with regard to their contracts, salaries and social guarantees, which compromises their ability to work appropriately and thus hampers media freedom; is therefore concerned by the replacement of professional and trained journalists by less expensive freelancers and its negative consequences on quality journalism;

Amendment 7 #

1. Emphasises that access to quality, free and independent information is a fundamental human right, that media pluralism is the pillar of democracy and that the media’s independence from political and economic powers and undue influences must be guaranteed accordingly;

Amendment 70 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Points out that, conversely, subsidies granted to the media, whatever the degree of interest that they might arouse among the public, undermines pluralism by skewing the media offering in relation to public expectations and that a media outlet should not, therefore, be kept financially viable purely by the artificial means of subsidies;

Amendment 71 #

Giorgos GRAMMATIKAKIS, Damian DRĂGHICI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Emphasises that a critical use of media content is essential to people’s understanding of current issues and to their contribution to public life; ~~calls, therefore, on the Commission and the Member States to promote and support media literacy project~~points out that education, which is the responsibility of Member States, is the way to develop critical thinking and that bringing this about must be one of the prime goals of education systems.

Amendment 72 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Emphasises that a critical use of media content is essential to people’s understanding of current ~~issues and to their contribution to public life; calls, therefore, on the Commission and the Member States to promote and support media literacy projects.~~opportunities and challenges of an increasingly complex and interconnected media environment and to their contribution to public life; underlines that this is particularly important as online media platforms and media services providers give citizens the opportunity to act like journalists themselves by reporting events and creating opinions, and they thus have an important responsibility to avoid the wide spreading of fake news and hate speech; calls, therefore, on the Commission and Member States to ensure the protection of professional and reliable journalism in the digital environment, and to develop a comprehensive media literacy policy and to promote and support media literacy projects targeting citizens of all age groups and all media types; calls on the Commission to ensure relevant EU funding opportunities in this regard;

Amendment 73 #

Damian DRĂGHICI, Momchil NEKOV, Krystyna ŁYBACKA, Julie WARD, Giorgos GRAMMATIKAKIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Emphasises that a critical use of media content is essential to people’s understanding of current ~~issues and to their contribution to public life~~opportunities and challenges of an increasingly complex and interconnected media environment and to their contribution to public life; underlines that this is particularly important as online media platforms and media services providers give citizens the opportunity to act like journalist themselves by reporting events, creating opinions and that they have an important responsibility to avoid the spreading fake news and hate speech; calls, therefore, on the Commission and ~~the~~ Member States to ~~promote and support media literacy projects.~~develop a comprehensive media literacy policy and to promote and support media literacy projects targeting citizens of all age groups and all media types; calls on the Commission to ensure relevant EU funding opportunities in this regard;

Amendment 74 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Emphasises that a critical use of media content is essential to people’s understanding of current issues and to their contribution to public life; calls, therefore, on the Commission and the Member States to promote and support media literacy projects, as well as to lead by example in how to guarantee/ensure a healthy relationship between EU officials and journalists without feeding into the ethical disbalance, which implies that guidelines, seminars and invited groups of journalists supported by EU funds are addressed only with factual and unbiased information about the EU, while opinions about EU’s future and policies shall during these seminars and trips only be conveyed by MEPs representing the different political groups in the Parliament.

Amendment 75 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Emphasises that ~~a critical~~developing a sense of critical appraisal and analysis with regard to the use of media content is essential to people’s understanding of current issues, to being able to recognise professional and responsible journalism, and to their contribution to public life; calls, therefore, on the Commission and ~~the~~ Member States to promote and support media literacy projects and in particular to ensure that media literacy will be an integral part of the European Union’s education policy.

Amendment 76 #

María Teresa GIMÉNEZ BARBAT, Jana TOOM

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Emphasises that a critical use of media content is essential to people’s understanding of current issues and to their contribution to public life; media literacy empowers citizens and builds resilience against populism in Europe and is a crucial democratic competence, calls, therefore, on the Commission and the Member States to promote and support media literacy projects and develop further activities under EU funding programmes, such as ESI-Funds and Horizon 2020.

Amendment 77 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Emphasises that a critical use of media content - especially that generated by social media - is essential to people’s understanding of current issues and to their contribution to public life; calls, therefore, on the Commission and the Member States to promote and support media literacy ~~projects~~initiatives, such as the pilot project on Media Literacy for All.

Amendment 78 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Emphasises that a critical use of media content is essential to ~~people’s~~citizens’ understanding of current issues and to their contribution to public life; calls, therefore, on the Commission and the Member States to develop specific measures in order to promote and support media literacy projects.

Amendment 79 #

María Teresa GIMÉNEZ BARBAT, Jana TOOM, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Reiterates the need to maintain strong and vibrant independent public broadcasting service that is impartial from political interference, to ensure that the public is duly informed; emphasises that in this context, this need is more important than ever before to safeguard media pluralism and freedom in the European Union as well as democracy.

Amendment 8 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Stresses that measures to ensure an independent, diverse and transparent media landscape should be taken and that all Member States should promote freedom of expression, protect a well- informed public opinion, and guarantee that journalists and media professionals can carry out their work to the highest standards;

Amendment 80 #

Stefano MAULLU

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Maintains – without detracting from freedom of information, the object being to temper the right of reporting with the right to be forgotten, once a given period has passed, on the understanding that persons and facts should be excluded when they are of such public importance that they cannot be forgotten – that facts which have ceased to be of public interest should be taken out of the information circuit by being deleted from indexes, and made inaccessible via reference links, in news agency search engines and databases and that this should be done five years after the time of publication, provided that the facts in question do not relate to cases still ongoing, especially in the form of legal proceedings; calls for the above period to be extended to ten years when facts relate to persons who are public figures to the extent that they are involved in political, business, or professional activities, or, at any rate, occupy a prominent social position, and therefore attract more widespread and intense public interest;

Amendment 81 #

Damian DRĂGHICI, Momchil NEKOV, Krystyna ŁYBACKA, Julie WARD, Giorgos GRAMMATIKAKIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Encourages Member States to increase their efforts to strengthen media literacy among all citizens through formal, non-formal and informal education from a lifelong learning perspective, also by paying special attention to initial and ongoing teacher preparation and support and by encouraging dialogue and cooperation between education and training sector and all relevant stakeholders, including media professionals, civil society and youth organisations;

Amendment 82 #

Morten LØKKEGAARD, Jana TOOM, María Teresa GIMÉNEZ BARBAT

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Emphasises that principles of media freedom, freedom of speech and media pluralism are as relevant for pre- accession countries and the European Neighbourhood area as it is for Member States; calls on the Commission to ensure that these principles are strengthened and adequately monitored in these countries and that assistance programs are made contingent upon adherence to these principles;

Amendment 83 #

María Teresa GIMÉNEZ BARBAT, Jana TOOM, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Encourages the Commission and Member States to promote training and educational initiatives to all relevant stakeholders, including children, parents, teachers, social workers, child protection officers, civil society organisations and national authorities; supports age appropriate innovative tools to promote empowerment, media literacy and online safety as compulsory education at schools;

Amendment 84 #

Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Asks the Commission in cooperation with individual newsrooms and audiovisual services of all the European institutions, in particular with that of the European Parliament, to invest in and develop new and improved communication strategies designed to increase pluralistic national coverage of EU affairs and European news;

Amendment 85 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Stresses the need to preserve the independence and pluralism of publicly- owned media and to prevent any form of political interference, censorship or use of such media as a vehicle for propaganda and indoctrination;

Amendment 86 #

Curzio MALTESE, Nikolaos CHOUNTIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Reaffirms the need to bridge the digital divide both through specific technological literacy projects and with adequate investments in infrastructures, in order to ensure universal access to information;

Amendment 87 #

Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)

6b. Stresses that by providing increased pluralistic coverage of EU news, respecting cultural diversity of individual Member States and by using tools such as communication, media, social media, interactive platforms to their full potential will help bring closer and connect better EU citizens to EU affairs by helping individuals to form and share opinions, make informed decisions and contribute by means of critical engagement in the positive reformation and development of the EU;

Amendment 88 #

María Teresa GIMÉNEZ BARBAT, Jana TOOM, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)

6b. Reaffirms that science and journalism share a common goal to reveal truth to the benefit of public opinion, therefore they should commit to the pursuit of evidence-based policy making to avoid the spread of fake news in the European political agenda;

Amendment 89 #

Damian DRĂGHICI, Giorgos GRAMMATIKAKIS, Julie WARD, Krystyna ŁYBACKA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)

6b. Underlines that all citizens have the right to access to independent information in their mother tongue, be it state or minority language; asks the Commission and the Member States to push forwards polices that would guarantee that access;

Amendment 9 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Recalls EU’s commitment to safeguard freedom of expression and information across the EU and abroad and emphasises the need to optimise its efforts fostering and protecting media freedom, pluralism and integrity in candidate, neighbouring and third countries;

Amendment 90 #

Curzio MALTESE, Nikolaos CHOUNTIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)

6b. Reaffirms the need to independently monitor the media freedom and pluralism situation in the EU and therefore encourages Member States to implement and further enhance existing instruments, such as the Media Pluralism Monitor;

Amendment 91 #

María Teresa GIMÉNEZ BARBAT, Jana TOOM

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)

6c. Stresses the importance to develop further models for the establishment of a European public service broadcasting platform that fosters EU wide political debates based on facts, dissent and respect, contributes to a plurality of views in new converged media environment and fosters the visibility of the EU in its external relations;

Amendment 92 #

Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)

6c. Points out that journalists and media organisations have a unique responsibility in shaping opinions and public discourse, for this reason they have an obligation in providing independent and balanced content in view of combating extremism, hate speech, and ‘fake news’;

Amendment 93 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)

6c. Requests the Commission and the Member States to protect media freedom and freedom of speech in contemporary arts, by promoting the creation of artworks that give voice to social concerns, encourage critical debate and inspire counter speech;

Amendment 94 #

María Teresa GIMÉNEZ BARBAT, Jana TOOM, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 d (new)

6d. Denounces how fake news may fuel social tensions and contribute to distort information on regional and national politics in the EU; calls therefore for media independence and transparency as preconditions and essential safeguards of a well-functioning European democracy.

source: 613.568

2018/01/30 LIBE 227 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Auke ZIJLSTRA, Gilles LEBRETON, Nicolas BAY, Harald VILIMSKY

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2

— having regard to Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,

Amendment 10 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 15 a (new)

- having regard to the fact that the EU is making frightening steps towards deciding what opinions are allowed according to the EU and thereby threatening freedom of speech for EU citizens by enabling censorship and EU propaganda;

Amendment 100 #

Auke ZIJLSTRA, Gilles LEBRETON, Nicolas BAY, Harald VILIMSKY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 g (new)

1 g. Stresses that transparency with regard to the disclosure of ownership and means of funding must be ensured.

Amendment 101 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. ~~Calls on~~Reminds the EU institutions to guarantee full implementation of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in all their decisions, actions and policies, as a means to thoroughly uphold media pluralism and media freedom; asks the Commission, in this regard, to introduce human rights impact assessments for the evaluation of its legislative proposals and to present a proposal for the establishment of an EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights in line with the relevant Parliament resolutionhat all citizens have a guaranteed right to freedom of speech; calls on the EU institutions to respect this right of EU citizens to freedom of speech in all their decisions, actions and policies, as a means to thoroughly uphold media pluralism and media freedom;

Amendment 102 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Calls on the EU institutions to guarantee full implementation of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in all their decisions, actions and policies, as a means to thoroughly uphold media pluralism and media freedom; asks the Commission, in this regard, to introduce human rights impact assessments for the evaluation of its legislative proposals ~~and to present a proposal for the establishment of an EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights in line with the relevant Parliament resolution~~;

Amendment 103 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Calls on the EU institutions to guarantee full implementation of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in all their decisions, actions and policies, as a means to thoroughly uphold media pluralism and media freedom; ~~ask~~urges the Commission, in this regard, ~~to introduce human rights impact assessments for the evaluation of its legislative proposals and~~ to present a proposal for the establishment of an EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights in line with the relevant Parliament resolution;

Amendment 104 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Calls on the EU institutions to guarantee full implementation of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in all their decisions, actions and policies, as a means to thoroughly uphold media pluralism and media freedom from undue influence from national public authorities; asks the Commission, in this regard, to introduce human rights impact assessments for the evaluation of its legislative proposals and to present a proposal for the establishment of an EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights in line with the relevant Parliament resolution;

Amendment 105 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Stresses the need to have in place independent monitoring mechanisms to assess the situation of media freedom and media pluralism in the EU, as a mean to promote and protect the rights and freedoms enshrined in Article 11 of the EU Charter of fundamental rights and Article 10 of the ECHR and to promptly react to their possible threats and violations; calls on the Commission and the Member States to fully support and strengthen the tools already developed in this regard, such as the Media Pluralism Monitor and the COE Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists;

Amendment 106 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Calls on the Commission, as guardian of the treaties, to treat attempts by Member States’ governments to harm media freedom and pluralism as the serious and systemic abuse of power and move against fundamental values of the European Union enshrined in Article 2 TEU that they are, considering the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of opinion are fundamental human rights, and media freedom, pluralism and independence play an essential role in democratic society, including by acting as a check on government and state power;

Amendment 107 #

Auke ZIJLSTRA, Nicolas BAY, Gilles LEBRETON, Harald VILIMSKY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Urges the Member States to set up an independent body, in cooperation with journalist organisations, to safeguard the protection of journalists and the safety of journalists at national level;

Amendment 108 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Expresses its deep concern at the abuses, crimes and deadly attacks still being committed against journalists and media workers in the Member States; urges the Member States to do their utmost to prevent such violence, to ensure accountability and avoid impunity ~~and to guarantee that victims and their families have access to the appropriate legal remedies; calls on the~~; welcomes Member States, moreover, to fully implement Council of Europe Recommendation CM/Rec(2016)4 on the protection of journalism and safety of journalists and other media actors;

Amendment 109 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Expresses its deep concern at the abuses, crimes and deadly attacks still being committed against journalists and media workers in the Member States because of their activities; urges the Member States to do their utmost to prevent such violence, to ensure accountability and avoid impunity and to guarantee that victims and their families have access to the appropriate legal remedies; calls on the Member States, moreover, to fully implement Council of Europe Recommendation CM/Rec(2016)4 on the protection of journalism and safety of journalists and other media actors;

Amendment 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 16

— having regard to the outcomes of the World Press Freedom Index, published by Reporters Without Borders, ~~and to those of the Media Pluralism Monitor of the European University Institute’s Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom,~~

Amendment 110 #

Roberta METSOLA, Nuno MELO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Expresses its concern over the worsening working conditions for journalists and the amount of psychological violence that journalists witness; therefore, calls on the Member States to set up national action plans, in close cooperation with journalist organisations, to improve the working conditions of journalists and to safeguard that journalists will not be victims of psychological violence;

Amendment 111 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Is concerned with the state of media freedom in Malta following the assassination of anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in October 2017, who was also subject to harassment, including precautionary warrants that froze her bank accounts, and threats made by multi-national companies;

Amendment 112 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Calls on the Member States to fully support the initiative launched by Reporters Without Borders for the creation of a Special Representative to the United Nations Secretary General for the safety of journalists;

Amendment 113 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Is gravely concerned by new legislation – such as penalising the exertion by journalists of ‘moral and psychological pressure’ – that may directly restrict public debate and freedom of expression;

Amendment 114 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Calls on the Member States to create and maintain, in law and in practice, a safe and secure environment for journalists and other media actors, including foreign journalists legally pursuing their journalistic activities in the EU Member States, enabling them to perform their work in full independence and without undue interference – such as the threat of violence, harassment, financial, economic and political pressure, pressure to disclose confidential sources and materials, and targeted surveillance; highlights the importance of taking a gender-sensitive approach when considering measures to address the safety of journalists; stresses the necessity for the Member States to guarantee efficient legal recourse procedures for the journalists whose freedom of work has been unjustifiably threatened;

Amendment 115 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Calls on the Member States to create and maintain, in law and in practice, a safe and secure environment for journalists and other media actors, enabling them to perform their work in full independence and without undue interference – such as the threat of violence, harassment, financial, economic and political pressure, pressure to disclose confidential sources and materials, and targeted surveillance; stresses the need to ensure the dispensation of justice in respect of the above acts, so as to avoid media self-censorship; highlights the importance of taking a gender-sensitive approach when considering measures to address the safety of journalists;

Amendment 116 #

Gerard BATTEN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Calls on the Member States to create and maintain, in law and in practice, a safe and secure environment for journalists and other media actors, enabling them to perform their work in full independence and without undue interference – such as the threat of violence, harassment, financial, economic and political pressure, pressure to disclose confidential sources and materials, and targeted surveillance; ~~highlights the importance of taking a gender-sensitive approach when considering measures to address the safety of journalists;~~

Amendment 117 #

Auke ZIJLSTRA, Nicolas BAY, Gilles LEBRETON, Harald VILIMSKY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Calls on the Member States to create and maintain, in law and in practice, a safe and secure environment for journalists and other media actors, enabling them to perform their work in full independence and without undue interference – such as the threat of violence, harassment, financial, economic and political pressure, pressure to disclose confidential sources and materials, and targeted surveillance; ~~highlights the importance of taking a gender-sensitive approach when considering measures to address the safety of journalists;~~

Amendment 118 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. ~~Calls on the~~Welcomes initiatives of Member States to create and maintain, in law and in practice, a safe and secure environment for journalists and other media actors, enabling them to perform their work in full independence and without undue interference – such as the threat of violence, harassment, financial, economic and political pressure, pressure to disclose confidential sources and materials, ~~and~~ targeted surveillance~~; highlights the importance of taking a gender-sensitive approach when considering measures to address the safety of journalists~~, and the opinion of the 'EU versus disinformation';

Amendment 119 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Calls on Member states to carry out an independent review of their relevant laws and practices in order to protect freedom of expression and freedom and pluralism of media;

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 17

~~— having regard to the Policy Brief entitled ‘Defining Defamation: Principles on Freedom of Expression and Protection of Reputation’ published by ARTICLE 19,~~deleted

Amendment 120 #

Auke ZIJLSTRA, Nicolas BAY, Gilles LEBRETON, Harald VILIMSKY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Calls on Member States to set up an independent body, in cooperation with journalist organisations to deal with the protection of journalism and the safety of journalists at national level;

Amendment 121 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Underlines the importance of ensuring adequate working conditions for journalists and media workers~~, in full compliance with the requirements of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the European Social Charter,~~ as a means to avoid undue internal and external pressure, dependency, vulnerability and instability, and hence the risk of self- censorship; highlights that independent journalism cannot be guaranteed and fostered by the market alone; asks the Commission and the Member States, therefore, to promote and elaborate new socially sustainable economic models aimed at financing and supporting quality and independent journalism;

Amendment 122 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Underlines the importance of ensuring adequate working conditions for journalists and media workers, in full compliance with the requirements of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the European Social Charter, as a means to avoid undue internal and external pressure, dependency, vulnerability and instability, and hence the risk of self-censorship; highlights that independent journalism cannot be guaranteed and fostered by the market alone; asks the Commission and the Member States, therefore, to promote and elaborate new socially sustainable economic models aimed at financing and supporting quality and independent journalism; asks the Member States to strengthen financial support to public service providers and investigative journalism while refraining from involvement in editorial decisions;

Amendment 123 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Underlines the importance of ensuring adequate working conditions for journalists and media workers, in full compliance with the requirements of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the European Social Charter, as a means to avoid undue internal and external pressure, dependency, vulnerability and instability, and hence the risk of self-censorship; highlights that independent journalism cannot be guaranteed and fostered by the market alone; asks the Commission and the Member States, therefore, to promote and elaborate new socially sustainable economic models aimed at financing and supporting quality and independent journalism that helps to ensure that the public is accurately informed;

Amendment 124 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Condemns attempts by governments to silence critical media and demolish media freedom and pluralism, including by more sophisticated ways that do not typically create an alert in the Council of Europe Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists, such as by government members and cronies buying up commercial media outlets and high- jacking public service media to serve partisan interests;

Amendment 125 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Highlights the necessity to support and broaden the scope of activities of the European Center for Press and Media Freedom, particularly of its legal support to journalists under threat;

Amendment 126 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Expresses its concern, once again, at the negative and chilling effects of criminal defamation laws vis-à-vis the right to freedom of expression, freedom of the press and public debate – tools which put pressure on journalists and are essentially designed to protect public figures from criticism; reiterates its call to abolish, without delay, any criminal defamation laws and replace them with appropriate civil provisions, while avoiding excessively punitive measures and penalties;deleted

Amendment 127 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

Amendment 128 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

Amendment 129 #

Auke ZIJLSTRA, Gilles LEBRETON, Nicolas BAY, Harald VILIMSKY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Expresses its concern, once again, at the negative and chilling effects of criminal defamation laws vis-à-vis the right to freedom of expression, freedom of the press and public debate – tools which put pressure on journalists and are essentially designed to protect public figures from criticism; ~~reiterates its call to abolish, without delay, any criminal defamation laws and replace them with appropriate civil provisions, while avoiding excessively punitive measures and penalties;~~

Amendment 13 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 18

~~— having regard to its resolution of 21 May 2013 on the EU Charter: standard settings for media freedom across the EU1 , _________________ 1 Texts adopted, P7_TA(2013)0203.~~deleted

Amendment 130 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Expresses its concern, once again, at the negative and chilling effects of criminal defamation laws, as well as blasphemy or religious insult laws, vis-à- vis the right to freedom of expression, freedom of the press and public debate – tools which put pressure on journalists and are essentially designed to protect public figures from criticism; reiterates its call to abolish, without delay, any criminal defamation laws and replace them with appropriate civil provisions, while avoiding excessively punitive measures and penalties;

Amendment 131 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Expresses its concern, once again, at the negative and chilling effects of criminal defamation, anti-terrorism and public order laws vis-à-vis the right to freedom of expression, freedom of the press and public debate – tools which put pressure on journalists and are essentially designed to protect public figures from criticism; reiterates its call to abolish, without delay, any criminal defamation laws and replace them with appropriate civil provisions, while avoiding excessively punitive measures and penalties;

Amendment 132 #

Roberta METSOLA, Nuno MELO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Notes the attempts by public officials to restrict the dissemination of information by journalists by the abuse of secrecy or intellectual property legislation; Calls on the Commission to propose broader safeguards for journalists to freely access, use and re-use information obtained in their course of work;

Amendment 133 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Calls on the European Commission to propose an Anti-SLAPP (Strategic lawsuit against public participation) Directive that will protect independent media from vexatious lawsuits intended to silence or intimidate them in the EU.

Amendment 134 #

Auke ZIJLSTRA, Nicolas BAY, Gilles LEBRETON, Harald VILIMSKY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Considers that the participation in democratic processes is founded, first and foremost, on effective and non- discriminatory access to information and knowledge; calls for the EU and its Member States to develop adequate policies to attain universal access to the internet ~~and to recognise internet access – including net neutrality – as a fundamental right~~;

Amendment 135 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Considers that the participation in democratic processes is founded, first and foremost, on effective and non- discriminatory access to information and knowledge; ~~calls for the EU and its Member States to develop adequate policies to attain universal access to the internet and to recognise internet access – including net neutrality – as a fundamental righ~~welcomes initiatives of the EU Member States to guarantee freedom of access to the internet and to recognise the neutrality of the internet;

Amendment 136 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7 a. Deplores the decision adopted by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to repeal the 2015 rules on net-neutrality and highlights the negative consequences that decision might have, in a globally interconnected digital world, on the right of access to information without discrimination; calls on the EU and the Member States to pursue the path of strengthening the net-neutrality principle by building on and furthering the BEREC Guidelines on the Implementation by National Regulators of European Net Neutrality Rules;

Amendment 137 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7 a. Calls on Member States to invest and support the provision of online literacy skills to citizens; underlines that online education is essential to safeguard the free access to media for EU citizens; reminds that the EU can act in assisting with the necessary coordination, research, development and finances to assist national efforts in this regard;

Amendment 138 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7 a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure that journalists are given the proper tools to inquire and receive information from EU and Member State administrations;

Amendment 139 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)

7 b. Calls on the Commission to urgently review Regulation 1049/2001 and to propose improvements to the public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents; calls on the Commission to abstain from any more efforts to prevent or deter journalists and members of the public from seeking and obtaining information held by the Commission through arbitrary hurdles; Notes with indignation any attempts to deny access to information by the use of delay tactics, bogus reasons for dismissal or unjustified narrowing of the scope of information that was requested;

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 20

— having regard to its resolution of 25 October 2016 with recommendations to the Commission on the establishment of an EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights4, _________________ 4 Texts adopted, P8_TA(2016)0409.deleted

Amendment 140 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)

7 b. Calls on the Commission to promote common policies intended to bridge the digital divide within and among the Member States along all its lines (wealth, gender, age, geographical and social conditions);

Amendment 141 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Highlights the important role exerted by independent and pluralistic media in political debate and on the right to pluralistic information both during electoral terms and in the intervening periods; stresses the need to guarantee full expression for all political actors~~, regardless of~~ and base their presence in public broadcasters on journalistic and professional criteria and not on their degree of institutional representativeness;

Amendment 142 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Highlights the important role exerted by independent and pluralistic media in political debate and on the right to pluralistic information both during electoral terms and in the intervening periods; stresses the need to guarantee full expression for all political actors, as long as the expressions of political actors do not violate the ICERD, regardless of their degree of institutional representativeness;

Amendment 143 #

Gerard BATTEN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Highlights the important role exerted by independent and pluralistic media in political debate and on the right to pluralistic information both during electoral terms and in the intervening periods; stresses the need to guarantee full expression for all political actors, regardless of their degree of institutional representativeness or political views;

Amendment 144 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Considers as essential for the good health of democracy to have a fair and impartial journalism. Journalism done with objectivity and truth, free of political motivations and economic interests.

Amendment 145 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 – point 1 (new)

(1) Stresses that journalism must be responsible. Journalism is the opposite of defamation and insults. The use of press powers to unjustifiably attack people, companies or other entities, based on fact that are known to be false or probably false, cannot be exempt from liability. The right to judicial recourse for civil and criminal defence of their good name and honour must be assured.

Amendment 146 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 – point 2 (new)

(2) Emphasizes that media freedom and pluralism always requires consideration of other rights such as the dignity of the human person, the rights of persons to moral integrity, the good name and reputation, word and image or privacy.

Amendment 147 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Calls on the Commission to check whether Member States are allocating broadcasting licences on the basis of objective, transparent, impartial and proportionate criteria;

Amendment 148 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to refrain from adopting unnecessary measures aimed at arbitrarily restricting access to the internet ~~and the exercise of basic human rights~~ or at controlling public communications, such as the adoption of repressive rules on the establishment and operation of media outlets and/or websites, the arbitrary imposition of states of emergency, technical control over digital technologies – i.e. blocking, filtering, jamming and closing down digital spaces – ~~or the de facto privatisation of control measures by pressuring intermediaries to take action to restrict or delete internet content~~; calls for the EU and the Member States, furthermore, to prevent such measures from being adopted by private operators;

Amendment 149 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9 a. Calls on the European Commission and the Member States to ensure full transparency by private companies and governments in the use of algorithms, artificial intelligence and automated decision-making, which should not be implemented and developed in a way and with the intent of arbitrary blocking, filtering and removing internet contents, and to guarantee that any EU digital policy and strategy must be drafted with human rights based approach, providing for appropriate remedies and safeguards and in full compliance with the relevant provisions of the EU Charter of fundamental rights and of the ECHR;

Amendment 15 #

Auke ZIJLSTRA, Gilles LEBRETON, Nicolas BAY, Harald VILIMSKY

Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 a (new)

- having regard to its resolution of 16 March 2017 on e-democracy in the European Union: potential and challenges,

Amendment 150 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Stresses that any measures restricting internet content should only be adopted in well-defined circumstances and under strict judicial oversight, in line with international standards, the case law of the European Court of Human Rights, and Article 52 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights;deleted

Amendment 151 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Stresses that any measures restricting internet content should only be adopted in ~~well-defined~~specified, explicit and legitimate circumstances and under strict judicial oversight, in line with international standards, the case law of the European Court of Human Rights, and Article 52 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights;

Amendment 152 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Kati PIRI, Péter NIEDERMÜLLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Recalls that Protocol 29 to the Treaties recognises that the system of public broadcasting in the Member States is directly related to the democratic needs of each society and that it is therefore necessary to preserve media pluralism and objectivity;

Amendment 153 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Deplores the broad scope of the Code of Conduct on Countering Illegal Hate Speech Online, promoted by the Commission, and the large margin of manoeuvre left to private companies to determine what constitutes ‘illegality’, which could potentially lead to censorship and arbitrary restrictions on freedom of expression;deleted

Amendment 154 #

Auke ZIJLSTRA, Nicolas BAY, Gilles LEBRETON, Harald VILIMSKY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Deplores the broad and extremely imprecise scope of the Code of Conduct on Countering Illegal Hate Speech Online, promoted by the Commission, and the large margin of manoeuvre left to private companies to determine what constitutes ‘illegality’, which ~~could potentially~~ leads to censorship and arbitrary restrictions on freedom of expression; stresses that such censorship and attempts to limit freedom of expression are already happening in Germany and may occur in France soon too;

Amendment 155 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. ~~Deplores the broad scop~~Takes note of the Code of Conduct on Countering Illegal Hate Speech Online, ~~promot~~as strengthened by the Commission, ~~and the large margin of manoeuvre left to private companies to determine what constitutes ‘illegality’, which c~~but points out that the code should pnot~~entially~~ lead to censorship and arbitrary restrictions on freedom of expression;

Amendment 156 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. ~~Deplores the broad scope of~~Calls to revise the Code of Conduct on Countering Illegal Hate Speech Online, promoted by the Commission, and to correct the large margin of manoeuvre left to private companies to determine what constitutes ‘illegality’~~, which could potentially lead to censorship and arbitrary restrictions on freedom of expression~~;

Amendment 157 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. ~~Deplores~~Notes that the broad scope of the Code of Conduct on Countering Illegal Hate Speech Online, promoted by the Commission, and the large margin of manoeuvre left to private companies to determine what constitutes ‘illegality’, ~~which c~~should pnot~~entially~~ lead to censorship and arbitrary restrictions on freedom of expression;

Amendment 158 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Kati PIRI, Miltiadis KYRKOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11 a. Encourages the European Commission and Member States authorities to strengthen their efforts to build effective counter-narratives and other strategic communications tools to disrupt the process of radicalization towards extremist ideals;

Amendment 159 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11 a. Highlights that the interests and rights of minors should be fully respected in the context of mass media;

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 21 a (new)

- having regard to the Report on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2010/13/EU on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the provision of audio-visual media services in view of changing market realities;

Amendment 160 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Kati PIRI, Miltiadis KYRKOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)

11 b. Observes that an effective means of combating terrorism on the internet is to remove online contents constituting a public provocation to commit a terrorist offence. Encourages the Commission and Member States to cooperate with internet sector to prevent the misuse of social media for terrorist purposes by establishing tools to detect and flag illicit contents. Member States should provide clear guidelines to ensure an adequate level of legal certainty and predictability for users and service providers and the possibility of judicial redress in accordance with national law;

Amendment 161 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Reaffirms that anonymity and encryption are essential tools for the exercise of democratic rights and freedoms, for promoting trust in the digital infrastructure and communications, and for protecting the confidentiality of sources in journalism; calls on the Commission and the Member States to refrain from adopting un~~necessary~~justified and disproportionate measures to undermine encryption and from allowing or facilitating backdoors;

Amendment 162 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Reaffirms that anonymity and encryption are essential tools for the exercise of democratic rights and freedoms, for promoting trust in the digital infrastructure and communications, and for protecting the confidentiality of sources in journalism; ~~calls on the Commission a~~reminds th~~e Member States to refrain from adopting unnecessary and disproportionate measures to undermine encryption and from allowing or facilitating backdoors~~at free access to information necessarily implies safeguarding the personal information citizens leave behind when operating online;

Amendment 163 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. ~~Reaffirms that~~The anonymity and encryption are essential tools for the exercise of democratic rights and freedoms, for promoting trust in the digital infrastructure and communications, and for protecting the confidentiality of sources in journalism; ~~calls on the Commission and the Member States to refrain from adopting unnecessary and disproportionate measures to undermine encryption and from allowing or facilitating backdoors;~~However, the frontier between responsible journalism and anonymous actors has been blurred. The role of editorial responsibility and liability of both traditional and new media must be underlined.

Amendment 164 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Reaffirms that anonymity and encryption are essential tools for the exercise of democratic rights and freedoms, for promoting trust in the digital infrastructure and communications, and for protecting the confidentiality of sources in journalism, but points out that they can also give rise to abuses; calls on the Commission and the Member States to refrain from adopting unnecessary and disproportionate measures to undermine encryption ~~and from allowing or facilitating backdoors~~;

Amendment 165 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Underlines the fact that "dark" side of encryption and anonymity is a reflection of the fact that wrongdoing offline takes place online as well. Law enforcement and counter-terrorism officials express concern that terrorists and criminals use encryption and anonymity to hide theirs activities, making it difficult to prevent and conduct investigations.

Amendment 166 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12 a. Recalls that restrictions on encryption and anonymity must be strictly limited according to the principles of legality, necessity and proportionality; in this regard, calls on the EU institutions and the Member States to fully endorse and implement the recommendations set out in the Report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression of 22 May 2015 addressing the use of encryption and anonymity in digital communications;

Amendment 167 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12 a. Recognizes that encryption and anonymity provides the privacy and security necessary for the exercise of the right to freedom of opinion and expression in the digital age. Restrictions on encryption and anonymity must be limited according to principles of legality, legitimacy, proportionality and necessity.

Amendment 168 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Cécile Kashetu KYENGE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12 a. Encourages the development of ethical codes for journalists as well as for those involved in the management of media outlets, in order to ensure the full independence of journalists and media bodies;

Amendment 169 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12 a. Underlines that law enforcement and judicial authorities face many obstacles while investigating and prosecuting online offences also due to discrepancies among EU member states legislations;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 21 a (new)

- having regard to its resolutions on the situation in Hungary and Poland,

Amendment 170 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Recognises that the new digital environment has exacerbated the problem of the spread of disinformation, or the so- called ‘fake’ or ‘false’ news; recalls, however, that this is not a new phenomenon, nor is it restricted to the online sphere; expresses its concern at the potential threat it can pose to the freedom of expression if states increase censorship under the pretext of preventing the circulation of fake news; deplores he fact that the term is increasingly being used by certain states and politicians to undermine public trust in the media and enable attacks on activists and journalist; stresses the importance of effective systems of self-regulation which are based on the principles of accuracy and transparency and which provide for proper obligations and instruments regarding source verification and fact checking;

Amendment 171 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

Amendment 172 #

Auke ZIJLSTRA, Nicolas BAY, Gilles LEBRETON, Harald VILIMSKY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Recognises that the new digital environment has exacerbated the problem of the spread of disinformation, or the so- called ‘fake’ or ‘false’ news; recalls, however, that this is not a new phenomenon, nor is it restricted to the online sphere; stresses the importance of effective systems of self-regulation which are based on the principles of accuracy and transparency and which provide for proper obligations and instruments regarding source verification ~~and fact checking~~, cutting off ‘fake’ news providers from advertising networks and fact checking by independent third parties to foster the objectivity of information and its protection;

Amendment 173 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Recognises that the new digital environment has exacerbated the problem of the spread of disinformation, or the so- called ‘fake’ or ‘false’ news; recalls, however, that this is not a new phenomenon, nor is it restricted to the online sphere; stresses the importance of effective systems of self-regulation which are based on the principles of accuracy and transparency and which provide for proper obligations and instruments regarding source verification and fact checkingnabled citizens to discover the truth about various issues that before where only to be found in newspapers and books; stresses the importance of maintaining a citizens' fundamental right of freedom of speech and free access to pluralistic and diverse media, including self-published opinions such as blogs;

Amendment 174 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

Amendment 175 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

Amendment 176 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13 a. Emphasises that a critical use of media content is essential to people’s understanding of current issues and to their contribution to public life; media literacy empowers citizens and is a crucial democratic competence, calls, therefore, on the Commission and the Member States to promote and support media literacy projects and develop further activities under EU funding programmes, such as ESI-Funds and Horizon 2020;

Amendment 177 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Kati PIRI, Péter NIEDERMÜLLER, Miltiadis KYRKOS, Cécile Kashetu KYENGE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13 a. Recognises that the role and investment of press publishers in investigative, professional and independent journalism and in media literacy and education, is essential for fighting against the proliferation of ‘fake’ news; calls on the need to ensure the sustainability of a pluralistic editorial press content, in particular regarding copyright, e-privacy and competition at EU level;

Amendment 178 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13 a. Welcomes the European Commission decision to establish a High Level Expert Group on fake news and online disinformation composed by representatives of the civil society, social media platforms, news media organisations, journalists and academia in order to analyse these emerging threats and propose operative measures to be taken both at European and national level;

Amendment 179 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13 a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote programs and policies aimed at fostering media and news literacy for journalists, media actors and the general public, and at developing a critical and conscious appreciation of the use of ICT such as, for instance, awareness raising campaigns concerning the rights and possible risks in the digital sphere;

Amendment 18 #

Auke ZIJLSTRA, Nicolas BAY, Gilles LEBRETON, Harald VILIMSKY

Motion for a resolution
Citation 22 a (new)

- having regard to the Council conclusions and of the representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, on media freedom and pluralism in the digital environment on 25 - 26 November 2013;

Amendment 180 #

Cécile Kashetu KYENGE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Urges the European Commission and the Member States to promote media literacy courses at school designed to develop critical thinking and the ability to select media that focus on accuracy, transparency and honesty with regard to information content;

Amendment 181 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13 a. Stresses the importance of media pluralism and media freedom and that by allowing the EU to judge what is the truth and what is not the truth is threatening the freedom civilians have in the Union;

Amendment 182 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13 a. Underlines the responsibility of online actors in avoiding the spread of unverified or untrue information with sole purpose of increasing the online traffic through the use of e.g. so-called clickbait;

Amendment 183 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)

13 b. Emphasizes the need to invest more in developing strategic communication capabilities to spot and disclose deliberately false content and propaganda by third parties, raise awareness about disinformation and ensure better coordination of strategic communication efforts within the Member States, International organisations and civil society organisations;

Amendment 184 #

Cécile Kashetu KYENGE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)

13b. Urges online platforms to provide users with online tools for reporting fake 'news', thereby facilitating prompt rectification and nipping in the bud any potential manipulation of public opinion;

Amendment 185 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Kati PIRI, Péter NIEDERMÜLLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)

13 b. Stresses the need for better digital literacy and raising the awareness of online users as to empower them with the ability to recognise dubious sources of information as well as their own responsibility in sharing untrustworthy content;

Amendment 186 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)

13 b. Recalls Member States that the notion of fake news should never be used to criminalise critical media;

Amendment 187 #

Cécile Kashetu KYENGE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 c (new)

13c. Calls on online platforms, to continue to display and to label as 'fake news' information revealed as such, accompanied by a textual or audiovisual rebuttal, with a view to stimulating public debate and preventing any re-emergence of the same 'fake news' in a different form;

Amendment 188 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Kati PIRI, Péter NIEDERMÜLLER, Miltiadis KYRKOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 c (new)

13 c. Calls on the European Commission to provide social media platforms with precise definitions of fake news and disinformation in order to reduce the margin of discretion left to the private sector actors;

Amendment 189 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Kati PIRI, Péter NIEDERMÜLLER, Miltiadis KYRKOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 d (new)

13 d. Encourages social media companies to develop tools to enable users to flag potential fake news for review by certified third party fact checking organisations;

Amendment 19 #

Auke ZIJLSTRA, Nicolas BAY, Gilles LEBRETON, Harald VILIMSKY

Motion for a resolution
Citation 22 a (new)

- having regard to the fact that propaganda is spread to eliminate political incorrectness from Brussels;

Amendment 190 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Kati PIRI, Péter NIEDERMÜLLER, Miltiadis KYRKOS, Cécile Kashetu KYENGE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 e (new)

13 e. Reiterates that cyberbullying and revenge porn are a growing concern in our societies and can have extremely serious impacts especially among young people and children. Encourages all Member States to set up forward looking legislation to address this phenomenon including provisions for removal from social media of contents harmful for human dignity within well-defined deadlines;

Amendment 191 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Kati PIRI, Péter NIEDERMÜLLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 f (new)

13 f. Encourages both the European Commission and Member States to invest in media literacy in order to provide citizens with tools to be aware and critical about contents they read and consequently identify fake news and disinformation;

Amendment 192 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Kati PIRI, Cécile Kashetu KYENGE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 g (new)

13 g. Calls on Member States to invest adequate financial resources for fact- checking as well as to integrate media and information literacy into national education systems and more generally in order to empower citizens with the tools to use the internet responsibly and avoid possible risks;

Amendment 193 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Kati PIRI, Péter NIEDERMÜLLER, Cécile Kashetu KYENGE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 h (new)

13 h. Reiterates the right of each individual to decide on the fate of his or her personal data, in particular the exclusive right to control the use, disclosure of personal information and the right to be forgotten defined as the possibility to obtain a prompt removal of contents that might be prejudicial for his or her own dignity from social media and search websites;

Amendment 194 #

Auke ZIJLSTRA, Gilles LEBRETON, Nicolas BAY, Harald VILIMSKY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Reiterates its call on the Commission and the Member States to adopt and implement adequate, advanced and comprehensive whistleblower protection systems by fully endorsing the Council of Europe’s recommendations and by providing appropriate follow-up to the recent Parliament Resolutions of 14 February 2017 and 24 October 2017;deleted

Amendment 195 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Reiterates its call to~~n the Commission and~~ the Member States to adopt and implement adequate, advanced and comprehensive whistleblower protection systems by fully endorsing the Council of Europe’s recommendations and by providing appropriate follow-up to the recent Parliament Rresolutions of 14 February 2017 and 24 October 2017;

Amendment 196 #

Auke ZIJLSTRA, Nicolas BAY, Gilles LEBRETON, Harald VILIMSKY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Underlines that whistle-blowing is an essential element for investigative journalism and freedom of press; recalls that journalists can be subject to legal prosecution rather than legal protection when, acting in the public interest, they disclose information or report suspected misconduct, wrongdoing, fraud or illegal activity; therefore calls on the Commission to set up a framework for a common European legislation to protect whistle-blowers and journalists;

Amendment 197 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Reminds the EU institutions that Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights gives EU citizens the right of freedom to hold opinions, and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers;

Amendment 198 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Péter NIEDERMÜLLER, Cécile Kashetu KYENGE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Encourages Member States to develop policies to ensure that reporting mechanisms are accessible, safe and secure, and that the claims of whistleblowers and investigative journalists are professionally investigated;

Amendment 199 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14 b. Emphasises the key role of whistleblowers in safeguarding the public interest and in promoting a culture of public accountability and integrity in both public and private institutions;

Amendment 2 #

Auke ZIJLSTRA, Nicolas BAY, Gilles LEBRETON, Harald VILIMSKY

Motion for a resolution
Citation 3

— having regard to Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and the European Social Charter,

Amendment 20 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 23 a (new)

- having regard to the fact that the EU stated their plans to combat 'euroscepticism' in the Union in the EU for Citizens report and the current developments of the suggestion of an EU media quality mark where chair De Cock Buning proactively researches 'fake news' with her taskforce, is demonstrating that freedom in the EU is under serious threat;

Amendment 200 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14 b. Encourages the media sector to safeguard gender equality in media policy and practice, through co-regulatory mechanisms, internal codes of conduct and other voluntary actions;

Amendment 201 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Péter NIEDERMÜLLER, Cécile Kashetu KYENGE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)

14 c. Urges the European Commission and the Member states to engage on social campaigns, education programmes, and more targeted training and awareness- raising (including for industry decision- makers) to promote egalitarian values and practices through funding and promotion at the national and European level in order to address gender inequality in the media sector effectively;

Amendment 202 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)

14 c. Encourages Member States and the European Commission to set up a comprehensive legislative framework to protect whistleblowers as well as to build a narrative, which underlines the fundamental role that whistleblowers play in our societies;

Amendment 203 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Péter NIEDERMÜLLER, Miltiadis KYRKOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 d (new)

14 d. Underlines that media professionals often work in precarious conditions with regard to their contracts, salaries and social guarantees, which compromises their ability to work appropriately and thus hampers media freedom;

Amendment 204 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 d (new)

14 d. Encourages both the European Commission and Member States to adopt measures to protect the confidentiality of the information sources in order to prevent any discriminatory actions or threats;

Amendment 205 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 e (new)

14 e. Underlines that all citizens have the right to access to independent information in their mother tongue, be it state or minority language; asks the Commission and the Member States to push forwards polices that would guarantee that access;

Amendment 206 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Calls on the Member States to adopt and implement legislative frameworks in order to avoid horizontal concentration of ownership in the media sector, to guarantee transparency of media ownership and management, and to ensure independent oversight and effective compliance mechanisms in order to prevent conflicts of interest andto guarantee transparency of media ownership and management, and to ensure editorial and journalistic independence and safeguard the media’s role as public watchdog;

Amendment 207 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Calls on the Member States to adopt and implement legislative ~~frameworks~~media ownership regulation in order to avoid horizontal concentration of ownership in the media sector, indirect and cross-media ownership to guarantee transparency of media ownership and management, as well as to apply appropriate restrictions on media ownership by persons holding public office and to ensure independent oversight and effective compliance mechanisms in order to prevent conflicts of interest and ensure editorial and journalistic independence and safeguard the media’s role as public watchdog;

Amendment 208 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Calls on the Member States to adopt and implement legislative frameworks in order to avoid horizontal concentration of ownership in the media sector, to guarantee transparency ~~of media ownership~~and easy accessibility for citizens of the information on media ownership, funding sources and management, and to ensure independent oversight and effective compliance mechanisms in order to prevent conflicts of interest and ensure editorial and journalistic independence and safeguard the media’s role as public watchdog;

Amendment 209 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Calls on the Member States to adopt and implement legislative frameworks in order to avoid horizontal concentration of ownership in the media sector, to guarantee transparency of media ownership and management, and to ensure independent oversight and effective compliance mechanisms in order to prevent conflicts of interest, revolving doors and ensure editorial and journalistic independence and safeguard the media’s role as public watchdog;

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 24 a (new)

- having regard to the High Level Expert Group on fake news and online disinformation appointed by the European Commission to advise on scoping the phenomenon of fake news as well as defining the roles and responsibilities of relevant stakeholders,

Amendment 210 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Emphasizes that self-regulatory mechanisms must be ensured for journalists to appreciate their good and even bad practices with sanctions.

Amendment 211 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 – point 1 (new)

(1) Calls the Commission to consider the best practices from national level to ensure the quality of journalism and reliability of the information published.

Amendment 212 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Calls on the Commission to ensure that any acquisition of co-ownership by outside investors, any partnership agreements or contracts established between broadcasting services funded by the European Union or any media outlets that offer public service using the credibility of a European label, such as Euronews, do not compromise editorial independence, objectivity and integrity of analysis; in this context, expresses its deep concern over contracts entered by Euronews with entities such as Grecima, the now closed propaganda department of the Angolan goverment , and on the contract maintained by Euronews with the government of Azerbaijan since 2006, sustaining a pro-regime propaganda cover which is incompatible with European values and interests in promoting truthful and pluralistic public information.

Amendment 213 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Underlines the importance of supporting and promoting new models of sustainable financing to support innovation in digital news and high-level independent journalism in order to reduce the high economic dependence on private advertising, thus creating the proper environment for a free press and independent media;

Amendment 214 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Urges Member States to develop their own strategic capabilities and engage with local communities in the EU and EU neighbourhood to foster a pluralistic media environment and to communicate EU policies coherently and effectively;

Amendment 215 #

Auke ZIJLSTRA, Nicolas BAY, Gilles LEBRETON, Harald VILIMSKY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Invites the Member States to fully support and endorse the COE Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to member states on media pluralism and transparency of media ownership, currently under discussion within the Council of Europe;

Amendment 216 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Deplores the fact that the monopoly position of certain social media enterprises is being enforced by some Member States who are assigning them with a special duty to provide so-called ‘uncensored’ and ‘unbiased’ information;

Amendment 217 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Péter NIEDERMÜLLER, Cécile Kashetu KYENGE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Urges the Member States to dedicate major efforts for the raising of media literacy, digital skills and adequate access to media among the EU citizens, especially by means of national educational systems;

Amendment 218 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Encourages Member States to establish a regulatory body for monitoring, documenting, and reporting on violence and threats against journalists as well as on media concentration and pluralism;

Amendment 219 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)

15 b. Recalls the important role exerted by public broadcasters in preserving media pluralism, as highlighted in the Protocol No. 29 to the Treaties; calls on the Member States to provide them with the adequate financial and technical means necessary to perform their social function and serve the public interest; to this regard, calls on the Member States to guarantee their editorial independence by preserving them, through clearly defined regulatory frameworks, from any form of governmental, political and commercial interference and influence, while assuring, at the same time, full management autonomy and independence to all public bodies and entities which exercise powers in the areas of broadcast and telecommunications;

Amendment 22 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 26 a (new)

- Having regards to Directive (EU) 2017/541 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2017 on combating terrorism and replacing Council Framework Decision 2002/475/JHA and amending Council Decision 2005/671/JHA;

Amendment 220 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Péter NIEDERMÜLLER, Miltiadis KYRKOS, Cécile Kashetu KYENGE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)

15 b. Calls on the Commission to allocate permanent and adequate funding in the EU budget to support the Media Pluralism Monitor at the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom and create a yearly mechanism of assessment of the risks for media pluralism in the EU member states; stresses that the same mechanism should be applied to measure Media Pluralism in candidate countries and the results of the Media Pluralism Monitor should have actual bearing on the progress of the negotiation process;

Amendment 221 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)

15 b. Calls on the Commission to monitor and collect information and statistics about media freedom and pluralism within all Member States and to closely analyse cases of infringement of the fundamental rights of journalists while respecting the principle of subsidiarity;

Amendment 222 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)

15 b. Stresses the need for the intensified sharing of best practices among audio-visual regulatory authorities of the Member States;

Amendment 223 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 c (new)

15 c. Recognises that internet and, more generally, the development of the digital environment has expanded the scope of several human rights, as shown, for instance, by the judgment of the European Court of Justice in the case C- 131/12 Google Spain SL and Google Inc v. Agencia Española de Protección de Datos (AEPD) and Mario Costeja González; calls, in this regard, on the EU institutions to launch a participatory process in order to elaborate a European Charter of Internet Rights, taking into account the best practices developed in the Member States - in particular the Italian Declaration of Internet Rights - to be used as reference point, together with the relevant European and International human rights instruments, for the regulation of the digital sphere;

Amendment 224 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 c (new)

15 c. Calls on the Commission to take into account the recommendations contained in the European Parliament’s resolution of 25 October 2016 on the establishment of an EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights; in this sense, calls on the Commission to inlcude the results and the recommendations of the Media Pluralism Monitor on the risks for media pluralism and media freedom in the EU when drawing up the annual Report on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights (European DRF Report);

Amendment 225 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 c (new)

15 c. Urges Member States to guarantee that their minorities enjoy adequate access to the media content and equal right of creation of such content, by setting the rules that respect linguistic diversity, rights of the people with disabilities, people resident in local and regional communities; stresses the need for the EU countries to develop policies that provide support for covering the fixed costs of regional, local, community, minority media companies;

Amendment 226 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 d (new)

15 d. Stresses the necessity to abolish geoblocking for information media content allowing the EU citizens to access online, on-demand and replay streaming of the television channels of other EU Member States;

Amendment 227 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Miltiadis KYRKOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 e (new)

15 e. Urges the Member States to align their policy of issuing licenses for national broadcasting companies with the principle of respect for media pluralism; the prices and the strictness of obligations related to the licenses issuing should be subject to scrutiny and should not jeopardize the media freedom;

Amendment 23 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 26 b (new)

- Having regards to the European Council Conclusionson security and defence on 22 June 2017;

Amendment 24 #

Auke ZIJLSTRA, Nicolas BAY, Gilles LEBRETON, Harald VILIMSKY

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of opinion are fundamental human rights and indispensable conditions for the full development of the person, for the realisation of the principles of transparency ~~and~~, accountability and ~~for the fulfilment of other human rights and fundamental freedoms~~discovery of truth; therefore should we safeguard these precious rights of freedom of expression and freedom of opinion at all cost and not allow the EU to judge what is the truth;

Amendment 25 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Péter NIEDERMÜLLER, Miltiadis KYRKOS

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of opinion are fundamental human rights and indispensable conditions for the full development of the person and their active participation in a democratic society, for the realisation of the principles of transparency and accountability and for the fulfilment of other human rights and fundamental freedoms;

Amendment 26 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

A a. Whereas pluralism is inseparable from freedom, democracy and the rule of law

Amendment 27 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)

A b. Whereas the right to inform and the right to be informed are part of the core basic democratic values on which European Union is founded.

Amendment 28 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)

A c. Whereas the importance of a pluralistic, independent and trustworthy media as a guardian and monitor of democracy and the rule of law cannot be underestimated.

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas media freedom, pluralism and independence are crucial components of the right to freedom of expression; whereas the media play an essential role in democratic society, by acting as public watchdogs, while contributing to citizens’ empowerment and their participation in democratic life; whereas the scope of such a role should be enlarged to encompass online and citizen journalism, as well as the work of bloggers, social media activists and human rights defenders, in order to reflect today’s profoundly changed media reality, while respecting the right to privacy and professional ethics in order to ensure veracity;

Amendment 3 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 a (new)

- having regard to the International convention on the Elimination of All forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), adopted and opened for signature and ratification by General Assembly resolution 2106 of 21/12/1965,

Amendment 30 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas media freedom, pluralism and independence are crucial components of the right to freedom of expression; whereas the media play an essential role in democratic society, by acting as public watchdogs, while contributing to citizens’ empowerment ~~and their~~, through widening their understanding of current political and social landscape, and leading to their conscious participation in democratic life; whereas the scope of such a role should be enlarged to encompass online and citizen journalism, as well as the work of bloggers, social media activists and human rights defenders, in order to reflect today’s profoundly changed media reality;

Amendment 31 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas media freedom, pluralism and independence are crucial components of the right to freedom of expression; whereas the media play an essential role in democratic society, by acting as public watchdogs, while contributing to citizens’ empowerment and their participation in democratic life; whereas the scope of such a role should be enlarged to encompass online and citizen journalism, as well as the work of bloggers, social media activists and human rights defenders, in order to reflect today’s profoundly changed media reality; whereas net neutrality is an essential principle for the open internet;

Amendment 32 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Miltiadis KYRKOS, Cécile Kashetu KYENGE

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas media freedom, pluralism and independence are crucial components of the right to freedom of expression; whereas the media play an essential role in democratic society, by acting as public watchdogs, while ~~contributing to citizens’~~helping to inform and empowerm citizents and foster their participation in democratic life; whereas the scope of such a role should be enlarged to encompass online and citizen journalism, as well as the work of bloggers, social media activists and human rights defenders, in order to reflect today’s profoundly changed media reality;

Amendment 33 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas media freedom, pluralism and independence are crucial components of the right to freedom of expression; whereas the media play an essential role in democratic society, by acting as public watchdogs, while contributing to citizens’ empowerment and their participation in democratic life; whereas the scope of such a role should be enlarged to encompass online and citizen journalism, as well as the work of bloggers, internet users, social media activists and human rights defenders, in order to reflect today’s profoundly changed media reality;

Amendment 34 #

Gerard BATTEN

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

B a. whereas the Republic of Turkey, a candidate country for EU membership, jailed more journalists than any other nation in the world in 2016; considers that these actions are a clear attack on democracy and freedom of expression; calls, therefore, for pre-accession funding to Turkey to be suspended immediately;

Amendment 35 #

Auke ZIJLSTRA, Nicolas BAY, Gilles LEBRETON, Harald VILIMSKY

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

B a. whereas civic participation, informed citizenship and the fundamental right to freedom of expression and information can only be guaranteed in any democracy through freedom of the press and pluralism;

Amendment 36 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

B a. whereas freedom of speech and freedom of expression are the cornerstones of our societies and should remain protected at all cost;

Amendment 37 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Péter NIEDERMÜLLER, Miltiadis KYRKOS, Cécile Kashetu KYENGE

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

B a. whereas fakenews, cyberbullying or revenge porn represent growing concerns for our societies especially among young people;

Amendment 38 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)

B b. whereas the spread of false news and disinformation on social media or search websites has strongly impaired the credibility of traditional medias which consequently harms their capacity to act as watchdogs;

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)

B b. whereas the empowerment of citizens and their participation in democratic life is born from the establishment of free, independent and pluralistic social media;

Amendment 4 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)

- having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents,

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas public authorities have the duty not only to refrain from implementing restrictions on freedom of expression, but also the positive obligation to adopt a legal and regulatory framework which fosters the development of free, independent and pluralistic media while leveraging accountability for accurate news reporting;

Amendment 41 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

C a. whereas the freedom of expression shall never, due to Article 2 and 4 of ICERD and Article 30 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, be used to defend expressions that violate the Convention and the Declaration, such as hate speech or propaganda which are based on ideas or theories of superiority of one race or group of persons of one colour or ethnic group or which attempt to justify or promote racial hatred and discrimination in any form;

Amendment 42 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

C a. whereas public authorities have the duty to protect the independence and the impartiality of public media in particular as actors serving democratic societies as opposed to fulfilling the interest of governments in power;

Amendment 43 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas the authorities must also ensure that the media comply with the laws and regulations in force;

Amendment 44 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)

C b. whereas the spread of populist and nationalist sentiments in certain Member States demonstrates the need for the European Union to defend the freedom of expression and the independence of media;

Amendment 45 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Péter NIEDERMÜLLER, Miltiadis KYRKOS, Cécile Kashetu KYENGE

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

D a. whereas the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression recalled in September 2016 that Governments have a responsibility not only to respect journalism but also to ensure that journalists and their sources have protection through strong laws, prosecutions of perpetrators and ample security where necessary;

Amendment 46 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

D a. whereas journalists and other medias actors are still facing violence, threats, harassment or public shaming in the European Union mainly because of their investigative activities to protect public interest from the misuse of power, corruption, human rights violations or criminal activities;

Amendment 47 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Péter NIEDERMÜLLER, Cécile Kashetu KYENGE

Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)

D b. whereas guaranteeing the safety and security of journalists and other media actors is a precondition to ensure fully their role and capacity to properly inform citizens and to participate effectively in public debate;

Amendment 48 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Péter NIEDERMÜLLER, Miltiadis KYRKOS, Cécile Kashetu KYENGE

Motion for a resolution
Recital D c (new)

D c. whereas, according to the Council of Europe Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists, more than half cases of abuses against media professionals are committed by state actors;

Amendment 49 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Péter NIEDERMÜLLER, Cécile Kashetu KYENGE

Motion for a resolution
Recital D d (new)

D d. whereas investigative journalism should be promoted as civic engagement and as an act of virtuous citizenship supported by communication, learning, education and training;

Amendment 5 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)

- having regard to Protocol No 29 of the TUE on the System of Public Broadcasting in the Member States;

Amendment 50 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas citizens are confronted with a radical evolution of the media system, the emergence of new online media and new powerful actors, such as search engines and social media platforms; whereas this development represents both a challenge and opportunity for the promotion of freedom of expression by involving citizens in the public debate, and for converting a growing number of information users into information producers; ~~whereas, however, the concentration of power of media conglomerates, platform operators and internet intermediaries risks~~but it also generated the emergence of platforms spreading fake news or distorted information, purposely aiming to manipulate public opinion, namely as a propaganda tool in “hybrid war” contexts; whereas, however, the concentration of power of media conglomerates, platform operators and internet intermediaries has impacted the freedom and integrity of the professionals of journalism and broadcast media, thus hindering and threatening quality and editorial independence; whereas privatisations and media control by economic corporations and business and political tycons is determining negative consequences for the pluralism of public debate ~~and~~, access to information and is fostering the spreading of bigotry and extremist ideologies;

Amendment 51 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

Amendment 52 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas citizens are confronted with a radical evolution of the media system, the emergence of new online media and new powerful actors, such as search engines and social media platforms; whereas this developmentthe rapid growth of the online dimension of media pluralism represents both a challenge and an opportunity for the promotion of freedom of expression by involving citizens in the public debate, and for converting a growing number of information users into information producers; whereas, however, the concentration of power of media conglomerates, platform operators and internet intermediaries risks negative consequences for the pluralism of public debate and access to information;

Amendment 53 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

Amendment 54 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

E a. whereas the phenomenon of fake news and online misinformation is increasingly worrying given the facility of publication and the possibility of these contents to be shared by anyone on social networks with global impact. Prevent fake news and online misinformation from destabilizing the normal functioning of institutions, claiming for responsibility of the authors, protecting free speech, means to protect precisely the democratic regimes;

Amendment 55 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

E a. whereas journalists require direct, immediate and unencumbered access to information by public administration to properly hold authorities to account;

Amendment 56 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)

E b. whereas information obtained both by right of inquiry as well as through whistle-blowers are complementary to each other and both essential for journalists' ability to fulfil their public interest mission;

Amendment 57 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E c (new)

E c. whereas journalists require fullest legal protection to use and disseminate such information of public interest in their line of work;

Amendment 58 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E d (new)

E d. whereas the right to demand and receive information from public administrations remains scattered and incomplete across the European Union;

Amendment 59 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas the effect of the economic crisis, coupled with the simultaneous growth of social media platforms and other high-tech giants and highly selective advertising revenues, have dramatically increased precariousness in the working conditions and social insecurity of media actors, including independent journalists who are the target of psychological harassment, violence, threats, intimidation, defamation and libel cases leading to a dramatic drop in professional and social standards in journalism;

Amendment 6 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 5

~~— having regard to the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence,~~deleted

Amendment 60 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

Amendment 61 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas the effect of the economic crisis, coupled with the simultaneous growth of social media platforms and other high-tech giants and highly selective advertising revenues, have dramatically increased precariousness in the working conditions and social insecurity of media actors, leading to a dramatic drop in professmedia sector plays a key economic, social and cultural role in any democratic society. Europe has a strong media industry, which creates growth and job and has an important role concerning the respect, protectional and ~~social standards in jo~~promotion of plurnalism and freedom of media;

Amendment 62 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

Amendment 63 #

Auke ZIJLSTRA, Gilles LEBRETON, Nicolas BAY, Harald VILIMSKY

Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)

F a. whereas the European Audiovisual Observatory of the Council of Europe has denounced the emergence of a digital duopoly with Google and Facebook representing up to 85% of all digital advertising market growth in 2016, imperilling the future of traditional advertising-financed media companies, such as commercial TV channels, newspapers and magazines which have a far more limited audience reach;

Amendment 64 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas, in the context of the enlargement policy, the Commission has the duty to demand full compliance with the Copenhagen criteria, including freedom of expression and the media; whereas, once Members of the EU, States are continuously bound by human rights obligations by virtue of the EU Treaties and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights;deleted

Amendment 65 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas, in the context of the enlargement policy, the Commission has the duty to demand full compliance with the Copenhagen criteria, including freedom of expression and the media, and the EU should therefore show the example of highest standards in this field; whereas, once Members of the EU, States are continuously bound by human rights obligations by virtue of the EU Treaties and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the respect for freedom of expression and the media in the EU Member States should be subject to a regular scrutiny;

Amendment 66 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas, in the context of the enlargement policy, the Commission has the duty to demand full compliance with the Copenhagen criteria, including freedom of expression and the media; whereas, once Members of the EU, States are ~~continuous~~unequivocally bound by human rights obligations by virtue of the EU Treaties and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights;

Amendment 67 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)

G a. whereas research consistently finds evidence that women are in the minority across media sectors, particularly in creative roles, and are severely underrepresented at senior, decision-making levels; whereas studies of women’s participation in journalism suggest that, while there is a relatively good gender balance among entrants into the journalism profession, the distribution of decision-making responsibility is characterised by significant gender disparity;

Amendment 68 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)

G a. whereas the provisions of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and of the Treaty on the European Union which ensure respect for these principles are pursed through positive actions to promote freedom and pluralism of the media, to promote the quality, access and availability of information (positive freedom), but also requires the omission by public authorities in order to avoid harmful aggressions (negative freedom);

Amendment 69 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas unlawful and arbitrary surveillance, particularly when carried out on a mass scale, is incompatible with human rights and fundamental freedoms, inter alia freedom of expression – including freedom of the press and protection of confidentiality of journalistic sources –, the right to privacy and data protection; whereas security and counterterrorism laws and activities, as well as measures aimed at countering and preventing violent extremism, and hate spreading should always be the subject of fundamental rights obligations;

Amendment 7 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 5

~~— having regard to the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence,~~deleted

Amendment 70 #

Auke ZIJLSTRA, Nicolas BAY, Gilles LEBRETON, Harald VILIMSKY

Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)

H a. whereas recent political developments in different Member States, where nationalism and populism are growing, the increased pressures and threats against journalists shows that the European Union must ensure, promote and defend media freedom and pluralism;

Amendment 71 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)

H a. whereas Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights provides the right to freedom of expression and information, which includes the right of freedom to hold opinions, and to receive and impart information and ideas;

Amendment 72 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Cécile Kashetu KYENGE

Motion for a resolution
Recital И

I. whereas, recalling the Council of Europe, whistleblowing is a fundamental aspect of freedom of expression and plays a central role in deterring and preventing wrongdoing, and in strengthening democratic accountability and transparency; whereas the adequate protection of whistleblowers ~~at EU, national and international level~~ is a precondition for ensuring the effectiveness of such a role;

Amendment 73 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas, recalling the Council of Europe, whistleblowing is a fundamental aspect of freedom of expression and plays a cn essentrial role in deterrcting and pre~~ven~~porting ~~wrongdoing, and in strengthening democratic accountability and transparency~~irregularities as well as in identifying and publicising cases of corruption; whereas the adequate protection of whistleblowers at EU, national and international level is a precondition for ensuring the effectiveness of such a role;

Amendment 74 #

Auke ZIJLSTRA, Gilles LEBRETON, Nicolas BAY, Harald VILIMSKY

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas, recalling the Council of Europe, whistleblowing is a fundamental aspect of freedom of expression and plays a central role in deterring and preventing wrongdoing, and in strengthening democratic accountability and transparency; whereas the adequate protection of whistleblowers at ~~EU, national and inter~~national level is a precondition for ensuring the effectiveness of such a role;

Amendment 75 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Péter NIEDERMÜLLER, Cécile Kashetu KYENGE

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

I a. whereas whistleblowing represents a key source of information in the fight against organised crime, in the investigation of cases of corruption within the public sector as well as in the detection of tax avoidance schemes set up by private companies;

Amendment 76 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

I a. whereas a level playing field at European level is necessary for ensuring that search engines, social media platforms and other high-tech giants respect the rules of the EU Digital Single Market, such as e-privacy and competition;

Amendment 77 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

I a. whereas persons who knowingly report wrong or misleading information with the intention to harm third parties should not be considered as whistleblowers and thus should not enjoy the protection mechanisms;

Amendment 78 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

I a. whereas, in the context of fighting corruption and maladministration in the EU, the investigative journalism should receive particular regard and financial support as a tool serving to the public good;

Amendment 79 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I b (new)

I b. whereas protection of whistleblowers cannot be achieved only through legislative measures but also through the fostering of a cultural change in European societies so as to avoid any form of stigmatisation towards investigative journalism;

Amendment 8 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)

- having regard to the outcomes of the Media Pluralism Monitor project implemented in 2016 assessing the risks for media pluralism in the EU Member States;

Amendment 80 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I b (new)

I b. whereas according to the findings of the Media Pluralism Monitor, media ownership remains highly concentrated and this constitutes a significant risk to diversity of information and viewpoints represented in media content;

Amendment 81 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I b (new)

I b. whereas the EU can only be credible on the global stage if press and media freedoms are safeguarded and respected within the Union itself;

Amendment 82 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Cécile Kashetu KYENGE

Motion for a resolution
Recital I c (new)

I c. whereas the coverage of the EU affairs and the work of the EU institutions and agencies should equally fall under the criteria of media pluralism and media freedom, as the coverage of the national news, and should have a multilingual support to reach maximum of the EU citizens;

Amendment 83 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I c (new)

I c. Whereas the internet and namely social media play a key role as a driver of radicalisation leading to violent extremism as well as a tool to disseminate hate speech and illicit contents especially among young people;

Amendment 84 #

Caterina CHINNICI, Tanja FAJON, Cécile Kashetu KYENGE

Motion for a resolution
Recital I d (new)

I d. Whereas effective online counterterrorism measures and the protection of freedom of expression are not conflicting goals, but complementary and mutually reinforcing;

Amendment 85 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I e (new)

I e. Whereas combating radicalisation and violent extremism requires close and coordinated collaboration between all concerned actors, at all levels of governance (local, regional and national) as well as with the civil society and the private sector;

Amendment 86 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Calls on the Member States to take adequate measures to safeguard and promote the fundamental right to freedom of expression and information and to safeguard and promote a pluralist, independent and free media landscape in the service of democratic society, including the independence and sustainability of public service media and community media, which are crucial elements of a favourable environment for freedom of expression;

Amendment 87 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Calls on the Member States to take adequate measures to safeguard and promote a pluralist, independent and free media landscape in the service of democratic society, including the independence and sustainability of public service media and community media, which are crucial elements of a favourable environment for freedom of expression and suitable media landscape able to avert 'fake news';

Amendment 88 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

Amendment 89 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Calls on the Member States to take adequate measures, including adequate public funding, to safeguard and promote a pluralist, independent and free media landscape in the service of democratic society, including the independence and sustainability of public service media and community media, which are crucial elements of a favourable environment for freedom of expression;

Amendment 9 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)

- having regard to the outcomes of the Media Pluralism Monitor of the European University Institute’s Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom,

Amendment 90 #

Auke ZIJLSTRA, Nicolas BAY, Gilles LEBRETON, Harald VILIMSKY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Calls on the Member States to take adequate measures to safeguard and promote a pluralist, independent and free media landscape in the service of democratic society, including the independence and sustainability of public service media and community media, including grassroots media,which are crucial elements of a favourable environment for freedom of expression;

Amendment 91 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Calls on~~Welcomes the Member States to take adequate measures to safeguard and promote a pluralist, independent and free media landscape in the service of democratic society, including the independence and sustainability of ~~public service media and community~~the media, which are crucial elements of a favourable environment for freedom of expression;

Amendment 92 #

Roberta METSOLA, Nuno MELO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Emphasises that countries in which people have endured years of totalitarian governments have a particular duty to play an active role in building a pluralist and representative media landscape; calls on the authorities of those countries to actively prevent the media exclusion of social groups that have previously been discriminated against, and to prevent the dominance of groups that held privileged positions under non-democratic governments, and of financially advantaged social groups, including those with foreign capital;

Amendment 93 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Welcomes the decision to name the European Parliament press room to slain journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia; Reiterates to this end its call for a European Parliament annual prize for investigative journalism to be named after Daphne Caruana Galizia;

Amendment 94 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Stresses the importance of guaranteeing the right to quality information by enhancing citizens' access to reliable information but preventing the propagation of online misinformation.

Amendment 95 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1 b. Underlines that the proliferation of untruthful news throughout social media can negatively affect the quality of political debate on issues crucial for democratic societies and the political engagement of well-informed citizens.

Amendment 96 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)

1 c. Emphasizes the shared responsibility of lawmakers, journalists, publishers and internet intermediaries, but also of citizens as consumers of information.

Amendment 97 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 d (new)

1 d. Considers essential to have independent authorities to ensure a strong independent supervision of the audiovisual media. Citizens should be able to rely on the independence of the media so that democracy works properly.

Amendment 98 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 e (new)

1 e. Emphasizes that freedom of the press requires that independence from political and economic power, which implies equal treatment regardless their editorial orientation.

Amendment 99 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 f (new)

1 f. Reiterates the importance of ensuring a journalism that benefits from mechanisms that prevent the concentration on single groups, monopolistic or quasi-monopolistic groups, ensuring free competition and editorial diversity.

source: 616.869

2018/02/05 JURI 100 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph –1 (new)

-1. stresses that media pluralism embraces many aspects, among them, merger control rules to content requirements in broadcasting licensing systems, transparency and limited concentration of media ownership, the establishment of editorial freedoms, the independence and status of public service broadcasters, the professional situation of journalists, the relationship between media and political actors, as well as economic actors, the access of women and minorities, diversity of opinions etc

Amendment 10 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Notes with regret that insufficient attention has been paid to the concentration of media ownership in Member States; recalls that EU competition rules play an important role in preventing the creation or abuse of dominant positions online and offline; calls therefore on the Member States and local authorities to monitor media concentration and to provide easily accessible information and transparency on media ownership and economic influence over media;

Amendment 100 #

Gilles LEBRETON, Marie-Christine BOUTONNET

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 k (new)

5 k. Notes that Member States shall ensure that appropriate instruments are put in place for identifying those responsible for harming others through media, even in the online space, while fully respecting the fundamental rights;

Amendment 11 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Notes with regret that insufficient attention has been paid to the concentration of media ~~ownership~~ in Member States; ~~recalls that EU competition rules play an important role in~~points out the need to prevent~~ing~~ the creation or abuse of dominant positions in the media; calls therefore on the EU Member States ~~and local authorities~~ to monitor media concentration ~~and to provide easily accessible information on media ownership and economic influence over media~~, to keep the public fully informed about media ownership and media dependence, and to take measures to reduce that concentration;

Amendment 12 #

Jens ROHDE, Jean-Marie CAVADA, António MARINHO E PINTO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Notes with regret that insufficient attention has been paid to the concentration of media ownership in Member States; recalls that EU competition rules play an important role in preventing the creation or abuse of dominant positions; calls ~~therefore~~ on the Member States ~~and local authorities~~ to monitor media concentration and to provide easily accessible information on media ownership and economic influence over the media landscape;

Amendment 13 #

Jens ROHDE, Jean-Marie CAVADA, António MARINHO E PINTO, Tadeusz ZWIEFKA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. The independence of the press covers both public and private media; highlights in this regard the importance of ethical codes for journalists and editors; such ethical codes shall encompass the duty to verify information and sources; stresses that the dissemination of content online needs to apply the same duty of care than dissemination offline; is concerned in this regard that standards seem to be lowered in a rapidly changing online environment where quantity and promptness and clickbaits seems more important than accurateness;

Amendment 14 #

Felix REDA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Whereas the introduction of ancillary copyright laws have led to enormous administrative costs in the administration and enforcement of the introduced neighbouring right in Germany without any tangible and sustainable income for both publishers and journalists; whereas these laws have brought considerable legal uncertainty to the functioning of the market and have put European companies in a significant disadvantage over international competitors;

Amendment 15 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Underlines the crucial role of public media to provide the citizens with objective and independent media coverage, having in mind the duty to present a variety of political positions, as public media are publicly financed; stresses that public media might often be endangered with the influence of governing majority that can deprive public opinion from the access to full range of information;

Amendment 16 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Calls on the Commission to monitor and collect information and statistics about media freedom and pluralism within all Member States and to analyse cases of infringement of the fundamental rights of freedom of speech and of journalists and other media workers while respecting the principle of subsidiarity;

Amendment 17 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1 b. Calls on the Member States to adopt or improve the existing legal provisions to guarantee transparency of formal and beneficial media ownership as well as of management, including online media, to allow for identification of possible source of control and influence, to strengthen the accountability and to ensure editorial and journalistic independence and safeguard the media’s role as public watchdog;

Amendment 18 #

Felix REDA, Francis ZAMMIT DIMECH, Heidi HAUTALA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1 b. Underlines that the independence of public service media is not always properly guaranteed and there is a need to promote sound legal provisions and good administrative practice in the domain of public service media, with a view to strengthening their independence and their capability to fulfil their mission in the general public interest;

Amendment 19 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1 b. Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents;

Amendment 2 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph –1 (new)

-1. Recalls that freedom of expression and information is a fundamental right as provided for in Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and Article19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;

Amendment 20 #

Felix REDA, Francis ZAMMIT DIMECH, Heidi HAUTALA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)

1 c. Reiterates that adequately equipped and financed public service media, particularly public service broadcasting, can play a key role in counterbalancing the risk of misuse of power of the media resulting from a strong media concentration due to their operational independence;

Amendment 21 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)

1 c. Whereas journalists require direct, immediate and unencumbered access to information by public administration to properly hold authorities to account;

Amendment 22 #

Felix REDA, Francis ZAMMIT DIMECH, Heidi HAUTALA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)

1 d. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote and develop new socially sustainable economic models aimed at financing and supporting quality and independent journalism and strengthening the sustainability of public service media, which are prerequisites of a pluralistic media system;

Amendment 23 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)

1 d. Whereas information obtained both by right of inquiry as well as through whistle-blowers are complementary to each other and both essential for journalists' ability to fulfil their public interest mission;

Amendment 24 #

Felix REDA, Heidi HAUTALA, Francis ZAMMIT DIMECH

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 e (new)

1 e. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to take adequate measures to safeguard and promote a pluralist, independent and free media in order to ensure freedom of speech and democracy;

Amendment 25 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 e (new)

1 e. Whereas journalists require fullest legal protection to use and disseminate such information of public interest in their line of work;

Amendment 26 #

Jens ROHDE, Jean-Marie CAVADA, António MARINHO E PINTO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 f (new)

1 f. Whereas the right to demand and receive information from public administrations remains scattered and incomplete across the European Union;

Amendment 27 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Is concerned about the legislative and administrative measures ~~used in~~taken by certain Member States to restrain and control their media, including public media channels, directly or indirectly; stresses that the fundamental principle of editorial independence from ~~the~~ governments and/or from political or commercial interests ~~should~~must be protected; underlines that ~~the~~any coverage of election campaign~~ing~~ should be fair, balanced, and impartial ~~and systematically monitored;~~; urges Member States to adhere to the recommendations and resolutions by the Council of Europe as regards public media independence and recalls the European standards laid down in the Treaties in this respect; stresses that supervision of public service media must be exercised by independent bodies and not directly by political institutions, such as a government; moreover, in cases of state financed public service media, editorial independence must be guaranteed

Amendment 28 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Is concerned about the legislative and administrative measures used in certain Member States to restrain and control the media, directly or indirectly; emphasizes that it is the Member States that have the positive obligation to ensure media pluralism and an environment in which citizens can participate in public debate and express ideas and opinions without fear; stresses that the fundamental principle of editorial independence from the government and from political or commercial interests should be protected; underlines that the coverage of election campaigning should be fair, balanced, impartial and systematically monitored;

Amendment 29 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Is concerned about the legislative and administrative measures used in certain Member States to restrain and control the media, directly or indirectly; stresses that the fundamental principle of editorial independence from the government and from political or commercial interests should be protected; underlines that the coverage of election campaigning and of other relevant events, especially when they substantially influence public life and opinion (e.g. major political debates, major popular demonstrations or protests) should be fair, balanced, impartial and systematically monitored;

Amendment 3 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph –1 (new)

-1. Stresses that media freedom and pluralism are rooted in the fundamental right of freedom of expression, which is a cornerstone of democracy, constituted by individual members of society;

Amendment 30 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Is concerned about the legislative and administrative measures used in certain Member States to restrain and control the media, directly or indirectly; stresses that greater protection should be provided for the fundamental principle of editorial independence from the government and from political or commercial interests ~~should be protected~~, but also from any private interests that are likely to threaten media pluralism and media freedom; underlines that the coverage of election campaigning should be fair, balanced, impartial and systematically monitored;

Amendment 31 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Is concerned about the legislative and administrative measures used in certain Member States to restrain and control the media, directly or indirectly; stresses that the fundamental principle of editorial independence from the government and from political or commercial interests should be protected and guaranteed; underlines that the coverage of election campaigning should be fair, balanced, impartial ~~and~~, systematically monitored and aimed at fully and duly informing citizens;

Amendment 32 #

Tadeusz ZWIEFKA, Jens ROHDE, Michał BONI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Is deeply concerned about the legislative and administrative measures used in certain Member States to restrain and control the media, directly or indirectly, or to not support media pluralism; stresses that the fundamental principle of editorial independence from the government and from political or commercial interests should be protected; underlines that the coverage of election campaigning should be fair, balanced, impartial and systematically monitored;

Amendment 33 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Is concerned about the legislative and administrative measures used in certain Member States to restrain and control the media, directly or indirectly, especially in the public media sector; stresses that the fundamental principle of editorial independence from the government and from political or commercial interests should be protected; underlines that the coverage of election campaigning should be fair, balanced, impartial and systematically monitored;

Amendment 34 #

Francis ZAMMIT DIMECH, Felix REDA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Draws attention to the Member States with regard to the need for competent and politically independent authorities, designated in accordance with national law, to respond promptly to possible irregularities, complaints or reminders in connection with restrictions on editorial independence or on media pluralism and media freedom; to this end, calls on Member States to ensure that these authorities take all necessary measures to carry out checks and impose sanctions where appropriate;

Amendment 35 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Is perturbed about the recourse by powerful commercial entities to SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) practices in an attempt to silence journalists from carrying out their work or otherwise interfere with their content. Calls upon the European Commission to take note of this trend and to propose legislation that would curtail these abusive practices.

Amendment 36 #

Francis ZAMMIT DIMECH, Felix REDA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. is concerned about the situation of media pluralism in the European Union; as the Media Pluralism Monitor co- financed by the European Union shows a risk of media pluralism in nearly every Member State and especially in the concentration and transparency of media ownership and access to media for women and minorities

Amendment 37 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2 b. Reaffirms that in line with the European Charter of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights, freedom of expression is one of the most fundamental values to safeguard democracy and to enhance our European identity. Freedom of expression is not only meant to protect journalists and their sources but above all is meant to protect the right of society as a whole to receive information about all issues of interest to it.

Amendment 38 #

Jens ROHDE, Jean-Marie CAVADA, António MARINHO E PINTO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Reiterates its call on all Member States where defamation is a criminal offence to decriminalise it and to ensure that defamation laws respect the right to freedom of expression in conformity with European and international human rights standards;deleted

Amendment 39 #

Tadeusz ZWIEFKA, Jens ROHDE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

Amendment 4 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph –1 a (new)

-1 a. Acknowledges that the main responsibility for maintaining media freedom and pluralism lies with the Member States; recognises, however, that the European Union has an important role to play, especially in cross-border issues which arise in the Single Market, including competition policy issues, as well as in upholding the fundamental rights of EU citizens and protecting the democratic sphere necessary for functioning of EU democracy, in case this might be threatened by restrictions on media freedom and pluralism in one of the Member States;

Amendment 40 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

Amendment 41 #

Gilles LEBRETON

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Reiterates its call on all Member States ~~where defamation is a criminal offence to decriminalise it and~~ to ensure that defamation laws respect the right to freedom of expression ~~in conformity with European and international human rights standards~~;

Amendment 42 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Stresses the need to establish and maintain a corresponding balance between protecting freedom of expression and media independence and pluralism, and the obligation of Member States to respect and protect private and public life, family life, the home and communications, as well as citizens' personal data, in accordance with Articles 7 and 8 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights; draws attention to the fact that media freedom and media pluralism, as well as freedom of expression, must not under any circumstances affect the individual freedoms guaranteed by a range of national, European and international instruments; stresses, in this connection, that editorial independence necessarily presupposes a high level of responsibility with regard to the information supplied, particularly bearing in mind that the accelerating volume of news has given rise to serious shortcomings on the part of journalists, such as the failure to check and doublecheck journalistic sources;

Amendment 43 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Is concerned of the high amount of journalists and other media workers in Europe that are increasingly being threatened, harassed, subjected to surveillance, physically attacked and even killed because of their investigative work and reporting on the misuse of power, corruption, human rights violations and criminal activities; regrets that only a small percentage of threats or harassments of journalists are reported to the police; Calls on the Member States to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists and other media workers by ensuring proper enforcement of applicable laws and through monitoring and reporting on threats and harassment;

Amendment 44 #

Tadeusz ZWIEFKA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Underlines the need to restore and promote the basic rules that govern journalism and the journalist ethics; stresses in this respect that responsibility for the information published lays both with journalists and editors; points out that while it is fairly easy to hold traditional media responsible for the possible defamation, this is not the case with so called new media

Amendment 45 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3 b. Calls on the Member States to ensure that crimes against journalists and other media workers are adequately addressed under national law and to avoid impunity. Member States should moreover ensure to follow-up to the Declaration of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on the protection of journalism and safety of journalists and other media actors;

Amendment 46 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3 b. Calls on the Member states for more social media education programmes and further actions so that the public could better distinguished between reliable information and fake news

Amendment 47 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)

3 c. Stresses the need of ensuring good working conditions for journalists and media workers, as a means to avoid undue internal and external pressure, dependency, vulnerability and instability and the risk of self-censorship;

Amendment 48 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 d (new)

3 d. Reiterates that working conditions and the safety and security of journalists and other media workers is a prerequisite to guarantee their role fully in order to inform citizens on matters of public interest; Therefore calls on the Member States and media organisations to ensure fair working conditions for journalists and other media workers;

Amendment 49 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 e (new)

3 e. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote a healthy political debate and lasting political engagement towards the respect of fundamental human rights through media literacy, media pluralism and ethics;

Amendment 5 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph –1 a (new)

-1 a. stresses that media freedom but also media pluralism and diversity is fundamental for a working democracy and needs the active support of the political sector

Amendment 50 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 f (new)

3 f. Highlights that journalists and other media workers are often specifically targeted because of their gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, membership of a minority group and, religion. Female journalists and other female media workers face specific gender-related dangers, including sexist, misogynist and degrading abuse, threats, harassment and sexual aggression and violence. These violations are increasingly taking place online; Calls on the Commission to develop studies with statistics on threats and harassments of journalists and other media workers through gender lenses;

Amendment 51 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 g (new)

3 g. Calls on the Member States and the social partners for urgent, resolute and systemic responses with preventive measures in order to combat threats and sexual harassments on journalists and other media workers;

Amendment 52 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Underlines that whistle-blowers are a crucial resource for investigative journalism and an independent press; calls on the Commission therefore to provide EU-wide protection in accordance with the Union objectives of democracy, pluralism of opinion and freedom of expression; nevertheless points out that providing protection for whistle-blowers must be balanced with and proportional to the facts on which they are disclosing information; in order to avoid defamatory allegations, this protection should be provided on the basis of convincing, relevant and conclusive evidence and should not give rise to wrongful, disproportionate consequences for the institution, organisation or society concerned;

Amendment 53 #

Jens ROHDE, Jean-Marie CAVADA, António MARINHO E PINTO, Tadeusz ZWIEFKA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Underlines that whistle-blowers are a crucial resource for investigative journalism and an independent press; calls on the Commission therefore to provide EU-wide protection in accordance with the Union objectives of democracy, pluralism of opinion and freedom of expression, believes that this protection should set clear channels to blow the whistle allowing for public disclosure whenever the whistle-blower consider it necessary and especially in the absence of a favorable response from the organisation, or if reporting internally or to the competent authorities would obviously compromise the efficiency of the alert, if the whistle-blower is at risk or urgently needs to report information;

Amendment 54 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. ~~Underlin~~Notes that whistle-blowers arcting on reasonable ground can be a crucial resource for investigative journalism and thus contribute to an independent press; calls on the Commission therefore to provide EU-wide protection in accordance with the treaties and the Union objectives of democracy, pluralism of opinion and freedom of expression; the protection of whistle-blowers goes hand in hand with the confidentiality of their sources, however, balanced with the fundamental rights of the accused natural and legal persons;

Amendment 55 #

Gilles LEBRETON, Marie-Christine BOUTONNET

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Underlines that whistle-blowers are a crucial resource for investigative journalism and an independent press; ~~calls on the Commission therefore to provide EU-wide protection in accordance with the Union objectives of democracy, pluralism of opinion and freedom of expression;~~

Amendment 56 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Underlines that whistle-blowers are a crucial resource for democracy and for investigative journalism ~~and an independent press; calls on the Commission~~; calls on the EU Member States, therefore, to ~~provide EU-wide protection in accordance with the Union objectives of democracy, pluralism of opinion and freedom of express~~guarantee their protection;

Amendment 57 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Underlines that whistle-blowers are a crucial resource for investigative journalism and an independent press; calls on the Commission therefore to provide a strong EU-wide protection of whistle- blowers (including measures against retaliation) in accordance with the Union objectives of democracy, pluralism of opinion and freedom of expression;

Amendment 58 #

Jens ROHDE, Jean-Marie CAVADA, António MARINHO E PINTO, Tadeusz ZWIEFKA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Underlines that whistle-blowers are a crucial resource for investigative journalism and an independent press; calls on the Commission therefore to provide EU-wide horizontal protection in accordance with the Union objectives of democracy, pluralism of opinion and freedom of expression;

Amendment 59 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Underlines that false accusations or misleading information can have far reaching effects for people and businesses; recalls that in the event of false accusations,those responsible should be held accountable for their action and not benefit from whistle-blower protection; stresses that any person who is defamed by inaccurate or misleading information needs to be afforded effective redress mechanisms;

Amendment 6 #

Tadeusz ZWIEFKA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Notes with regret that insufficient attention has been paid to the concentration of media ownership in Member States; recalls that EU competition rules play an important role in preventing the creation or abuse of dominant positions; calls therefore on the Member States and local authorities to monitor media concentration and to provide easily accessible information on media ownership and economic influence over media;deleted

Amendment 60 #

Francis ZAMMIT DIMECH, Felix REDA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Notes that new technologies have dramatically changed the business model of traditional press; nonetheless, believes that, with a consistent legal framework, digitisation has the potential to foster competition between media actors and democratise access to and creation of information and content;

Amendment 61 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Moreover, emphasises that Member States must ensure that whistle- blowers must be given equal protection on a non discriminatory basis. Such protection must also adequately and effectively cover workers in the public sector and be administered independently of the government.

Amendment 62 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Highlights that whistle-blowers that are employed in the organisation concerning the actual whistle-blowing act, are particular vulnerable to severe reprisals and therefore are in extra need of protection against reprisals and retaliation;

Amendment 63 #

Tadeusz ZWIEFKA, Jens ROHDE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Points out that guaranteeing the confidentiality of sources is fundamental to freedom of the press; calls on the Member States to ensure that the right of journalists not to reveal a source’s identity is effectively protected;

Amendment 64 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Points out that, especially in the era of the Internet, one false accusation based on unchecked information can destroy whole businesses and people’s lives

Amendment 65 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Notes that investigative journalists and members of the independent press pursue a profession that is often solitary and in the course of which they face many kinds of pressure, that there are also vulnerable and therefore that it is essential they be protected against all attempts at intimidation and should benefit from legal protection;

Amendment 66 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Recognises that the “right to blow the whistle” in all cases where information is disclosed in all good faith and is clearly in the public interest, for example where infringements of fundamental rights or of criminal law, including active or passive corruption, or facts that reveal a threat to safety, health or the environment are concerned;

Amendment 67 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Takes note of the new challenges that traditional and new media are confronted with due to the rise of new technologies and digitisation, such as the 'filter bubble' phenomenon linked to the extensive use of algorithms, the respect of the fundamental right to privacy or the improperly so-called phenomenon of ‘fake news’;

Amendment 68 #

Jens ROHDE, Jean-Marie CAVADA, António MARINHO E PINTO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)

4 c. Calls on the Member States to ensure to follow-up to the Declaration of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on the protection of journalism and safety of journalists and other media actors;

Amendment 69 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Highlights that the ~~fight against ‘fake news’, namely false news and other disinformation spread deliberately via the media, s~~deliberate misinformation created or spread in order to make financial or political gains, so called ‘fake news’, break the relationship of trust between the media and citizens and have a potential to endanger liberal democracies as well as to undermine our democratic values such as freedom of expression and the rule of law; as social media has made the circulation of such fake information much easier than in the traditional media, solutions need to be found to hould not result in restricting freedom of internet usage; calls for the Member States and EU institutions to devote sufficient resources to tackling disinformation; is satisfied with the work of the East StratCom Task Force and the establishment of the High Level Expert Groupauthors of fake news accountable for their action in digital media as is the case in the offline world; stresses that strict regulation or censorship of thoughts and views cannot be the response, but that rather assurance of reliability of information and educated, critically thinking citizens as well as media literacy form part of the solution; calls for the Member States and EU institutions to devote sufficient resources to tackling disinformation; highlights in this respect the need for media consumers to be able to distinguish between facts and pure opinions; stresses that the EEAS Strategic Communication Division and in particular the current East StratCom Task Force actively contributing to the development and implementation of a strategy against dissemination onf fake news needs and o~~nline disinformation~~verall upscale and reinforced resources to carry out its tasks properly.

Amendment 7 #

Gilles LEBRETON, Marie-Christine BOUTONNET

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Notes with regret that insufficient attention has been paid to the concentration of media ownership in Member States and that the provision of effective solutions is sometimes lacking; recalls that EU competition and tax rules play an important role in preventing the creation or abuse of dominant positions~~; calls therefore on the Member States and local~~ and therefore calls for their proper implementation; calls on the Member States and national independent regulatory authorities to monitor media concentration and to provide easily accessible information on media ownership, including the beneficial owners, and economic influence over media;

Amendment 70 #

Tadeusz ZWIEFKA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Highlights that the ~~fight against~~phenomenon of ‘fake news’, namely false news and other disinformation spread deliberately ~~via the media, should not result in restricting~~especially via the social media, is a rising and worrying trend and the fight against ‘fake news’, should be more effective; underlines that so called freedom of ithe Internet ~~usage~~cannot be an excuse for inaction; calls for the Member States and EU institutions to devote sufficient resources to tackling ~~disinformation; is satisfi~~‘fake news’ and disinformation, keeping in mind that the access of the public to information must not be censored; w~~ith~~elcomes the work of the East StratCom Task Force and the establishment of the High Level Expert Group on fake news and online disinformation.

Amendment 71 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Highlights that the fight against ‘fake news’, ~~namely false news and other~~ disinformation that is spread deliberately via the media, should not result in restricting freedom of internet usage; calls for the Member States and EU institutions to devote sufficient resources to tackling disinformation; is satisfied with the work of the East StratCom Task Force and the establishment of the High Level Expert Group on fake news and online disinformationresist the temptation to use this fight to restrict that freedom.

Amendment 72 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Highlights that the fight against ‘fake news’, namely false news and other disinformation spread deliberately via the media, should not result in restricting freedom of internet usage; calls for the Member States and EU institutions to devote sufficient resources to tackling disinformation; is satisfied with the work of the East StratCom Task Force and the establishment of the High Level Expert Group on fake news and online disinformation., e.g. by imposing on information society service providers any monitoring obligations in contravention of Directive 2000/31/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council; calls for the Member States and EU institutions to devote sufficient resources to and develop concrete specific measures concerning education and media literacy, which are fundamental to tackle disinformation and propaganda;

Amendment 73 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

Amendment 74 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Emphasizes the need to analyse and monitor the emerging problems with false news in the digital sphere and to develop concrete measures both at national and European level.; Welcomes therefore the initiative of the European Commission to establish a High Level Expert Group on fake news and disinformation online comprising representatives from the civil society, media actors and platforms, journalists, social partners and academia in this regard;

Amendment 75 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Notes that the transparency of ownership and of direct or indirect state funding is not satisfactory in any of the examined Member States; expresses its concern that in almost all Member States some media companies are owned by companies that are active in other business sectors, typically those that receive public resources or are otherwise connected to the public sphere (such as construction, energy, defence, transport);

Amendment 76 #

Heidi HAUTALA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Notes with concern that while media freedom and pluralism are a key tenet of democracy, without this freedom the citizens cannot hold the government accountable or make an informed decision about exercising their right to vote; that limitations to media freedom and pluralism will therefore lead to democratic deficit; and that democratic deficit in one Member State will affect the whole of the European Union.

Amendment 77 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Calls on the Commission to launch campaigns, and to support campaigns in the Member States, geared to promoting and highlighting the need for and importance of media education that will provide citizens with critical interpretation and selection skills in the face of the ever- increasing volume of information;

Amendment 78 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Underlines the responsibility of online actors in avoiding the spread of unverified or untrue information with the sole purpose of increasing the online traffic through the use of e.g. so-called clickbait;

Amendment 79 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Highlights that, in a pluralistic and democratic society, citizens need to be properly and fully informed in order to actively and effectively participate in public life and take part in political debates;

Amendment 8 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Notes with regret that insufficient attention has been paid to the concentration of media ownership in Member States; recalls and emphasises that EU competition rules play an important role in preventing the creation or abuse of dominant positions and, in this context, calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure that these rules are implemented properly and effectively; calls therefore on the Member States and local authorities to monitor media concentration and to provide easily accessible information on media ownership and economic influence over media;

Amendment 80 #

Jens ROHDE, Jean-Marie CAVADA, António MARINHO E PINTO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. is concerned about the professional situation of journalists due to financial uncertainties and the amount of threats and attacks they face; thus highlights the importance of coordinated action

Amendment 81 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Welcomes the Commission’s announcement to prepare a strategy to counter fake news, to be published in due course

Amendment 82 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5 b. In the evolving digital media ecosystem, new intermediaries have emerged with the ability to influence and control information and ideas online by acquiring gate-keeping functions and powers; Underlines that there must be sufficient independent and autonomous online channels and services and sources with the capability of ensuring a plurality of opinions and democratic ideas to the public on issues of general interest; Calls on the Member States to develop new, or existing national policies and measures in this regard;

Amendment 83 #

Jens ROHDE, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Jean-Marie CAVADA, António MARINHO E PINTO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5 b. Welcomes the “Annual Colloquium on Fundamental Rights 2016 focus on media pluralism and democracy” and the recommendations of the High Level Group on media freedom and pluralism; reiterates its call for legislative measures to ensure standards of media pluralism at European level for print media, libels, concentration of media ownership and the transparency of media ownership, etc.; states that the common social and political space in Europe requires a guarantee for a well-working democracy

Amendment 84 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5 b. Highlights the need for Member States to complement EU efforts to counter fake news and to engage at all levels, including in cooperation with the EU neighbourhood, to foster a pluralistic media environment to communicate EU policies truthfully, coherently and comprehensively,

Amendment 85 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5 b. Deplores that an EU regulation on ownership concentration has been put on hold several times because of a lack of political consensus; stresses that Member States and European institutions shall not hesitate to fully support a complete scheme of regulating media pluralism;

Amendment 86 #

Heidi HAUTALA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5 b. Calls for biennial assessments of potential risks to media pluralism and freedom in the Member States, by an independent committee of experts appointed by the Commission; calls for the European Commission to propose measures to address the findings of these evaluations.

Amendment 87 #

Jens ROHDE, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Jean-Marie CAVADA, António MARINHO E PINTO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)

5 c. Recommends that all media enterprises, including printed and online press, should identify their direct and indirect owners and every person who benefits from ownership; notes that this information shall be accessible to all European citizens and made searchable for purposes of monitoring and supervision by European and national authorities, researchers, industry stakeholders and citizens; proposes therefore the creation of a relevant searchable database in which media companies' ownership shall be registered up to the ultimate owner and maintained by the European Platform of Regulatory Authorities and the European Commission;

Amendment 88 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)

5 c. Emphasizes that principles of media freedom, freedom of speech and media pluralism are as relevant for pre- accession countries and the European Neighbourhood area as it is for member states; calls on the Commission to ensure that these principles are strengthened and adequately monitored in these countries and that assistance programs are made contingent upon adherence to these principles.

Amendment 89 #

Felix REDA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)

5 c. Expresses concern over the negative effect of national ancillary copyright laws on the revenues of small publishers; Calls on the Commission and on the Member States to refrain from the introduction of an ancillary copyright for publishers and calls on them to instead consider introducing a presumption rule for the benefit of press publishers1a; _________________ 1aThe ancillary copyright for press publishers was introduced in Germany (Article 87f-h of the German copyright law, Urheberrechtsgesetz) and in Spain (article 32.2 of the Spanish copyright law, ley de Propiedad Intelectual). In Germany, the collecting society tasked by publishers with the enforcement of the ancillary copyright reveals in its annual reports that the annual regular income from this law remains below 10.000 Euros. In contrast, the costs for enforcement are now several million Euros, as shown in the Joint Research Center Paper 'Online News Aggregation and Neighbouring Rights for News Publishes', that was made public on December 20, 2017.

Amendment 9 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Notes with regret that insufficient attention has been paid to the concentration of media ownership in Member States; recalls that EU competition rules play an important role in preventing the creation or abuse of dominant positions; calls therefore on the Member States and local authorities to monitor media concentration and to provide easily accessible information and full transparency on media ownership and economic influence and financial support over media;.

Amendment 90 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 d (new)

5 d. Suggests that in order to effciently safeguard media freedom and pluralism the participation in public procurement by companies whose ultimate owner also owns a media company should be prohibited or at least be made fully transparent; proposes that Member States shall be required to regularly report on all public funding provided to media enterprises and that all public funding provided to media owners should be regularly monitored; stresses that media owners shall not have been convicted or found guilty of any criminal offence;

Amendment 91 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 d (new)

5 d. Notes the attempts by public officials to restrict the dissemination of information by journalists by the abuse of secrecy or intellectual property legislation; Calls on the Commission to propose broader safeguards for journalists to freely access, use and re-use information obtained in their course of work;

Amendment 92 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 e (new)

5 e. Recommends that the Audiovisual Media Service Directive should be amended to require Member States to ensure media freedom and pluralism by putting in place adequate rules for combating concentration in the market, enhancing the level of the journalistic profession and media literacy in all countries (e.g. by encouraging self-regulation, promoting education and applying best practices in the field of journalists' source protection), ensuring the independence of the National Regulatory Authorities, effectively protecting cultural and social diversity;

Amendment 93 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 e (new)

5 e. Calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure that journalists are given the proper tools to inquire and receive information from EU and Member State administrations;

Amendment 94 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 f (new)

5 f. Calls on the Commission to urgently review Regulation 1049/2001 and to propose improvements to the public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents;calls on the Commission to abstain from any more efforts to prevent or deter journalists and members of the public from seeking and obtaining information held by the Commission through arbitrary hurdles; Notes with indignation any attempts to deny access to information by the use of delay tactics, bogus reasons for dismissal or unjustified narrowing of the scope of information that was requested1b; _________________ 1b In several cases, Member States have invoked copyright in order to prevent journalists from disseminating information of public interest (most famously: Unterrichtungen des Parlaments - a series of reports by the German Government to members of Parliament regarding the ongoing military deployments, such as Afghanistan). One of these cases is currently pending at the ECJ after local courts ruled in favour of the government and granted an injunction against a newspaper who published these reports. Regulation 1049/2001 - Access to information to EU documents has not been improved since 2001. On the contrary, the Commission introduced new interpretation in 2014 to the Regulation to introduce bureaucratic hurdles in order to discourage people from seeking documents via Regulation 1049/2001. The Regulation is in dire need of an update to properly account for the possibilities or proactive publication and internet mediated access (which was not taken into account in 2001). On a practical level, the access to information to Commission documents is often thwarted by misapplication of the Regulation and the systematic use of delay tactics. The Commission uses an overly narrow definition of what constitutes information unless the requester specifically asks for all information. Even then important documents such as drafts and comments are often discarded and remain undisclosed. The EMIS committee of inquiry recommended several changes to access to information in the EU, including: "83. Calls on the Commission to improve its capacities to handle document requests from committees of inquiry as well as from journalists and citizens under respective applicable document access rules, in a timely manner and with an acceptable level of quality; urges the Commission to release these documents in their native format and refrain from time-consuming and potentially content-altering format changes and format conversions; further instructs the Commission to make sure that information that is stored in a machine-readable format, e.g. a database, is also released in a machine-readable format".

Amendment 95 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 f (new)

5 f. Highlights that specific rules on how state aid to media outlets can be granted, shall be defined in order to reap the benefits of subsidising worthy media outlets, while preventing the misuse of this tool;

Amendment 96 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 g (new)

5 g. Stresses that any public funding to media organisations should be given on the basis of non-discriminatory, objective and transparent criteria which shall be made known in advance to all media;

Amendment 97 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 h (new)

5 h. Proposes that any public funding to media outlets should only be available for media organisations which publish a code of conduct easily accessible to the public;

Amendment 98 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 i (new)

5 i. Underlines that any public ownership of the media shall be subject to strict rules prohibiting governmental interference, guaranteeing internal pluralism and placed under the supervision of an independent body representing all stakeholders;

Amendment 99 #