BETA


Events

2020/10/20
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2020/10/20
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

The European Parliament adopted by 566 votes to 45, with 80 abstentions, a resolution on the Digital Services Act and fundamental rights issues posed.

Members stressed that fundamental rights, such as the protection of privacy and personal data, the principle of non-discrimination, as well as freedom of expression and information, need to be ingrained at the core of a successful and durable EU policy on digital services.

Tailored approach

Parliament urged the Commission to adopt a tailored regulatory approach in addressing the differences that still persist between online and offline worlds and the challenges raised by the diversity of actors and services offered online. It considered it essential to apply different regulatory approaches to illegal and legal content. Illegal content online and cyber-enabled crimes should be tackled with the same rigour and on the basis of the same legal principles as illegal content and criminal behaviour offline, and with the same guarantees for citizens.

Illegal content

The resolution deemed it necessary that illegal content be removed swiftly and consistently to address crimes and fundamental rights violations. Content removal should be ‘diligent, proportionate and non-discriminatory’ to safeguard freedom of expression and information and privacy. Moreover, any content removal measures legally imposed by digital services legislation should only apply to illegal content as defined in European or national legislation.

Members called on the Commission to consider obliging online platforms to report serious crime to the competent authority when they have received knowledge of such a crime. They called for the systematic and immediate removal of illegal content in order to address infringements, notably those relating to children and terrorist content, and fundamental rights violations.

Illegal content online should not only be removed by online platforms, but should also be followed up by law enforcement and the judiciary where criminal acts are concerned. Special attention should be paid to harmful content in the context of minors using the internet, especially as regards to their exposure to cyberbullying, sexual harassment, pornography, violence and self-harm.

Spreading harmful content

Parliament called for action to combat problematic behaviour such as micro-targeting based on citizens' vulnerabilities, misleading advertising, the spread of hate speech and disinformation, the presence of algorithms creating false profiles or manipulating online content, and political profiling to manipulate voting behaviour.

Members called for transparency in monetisation policies of online platforms and suggested that steps be taken to detect and report content posted by social bots on social networks.

The resolution welcomed the Commission's initiative to set up a European Digital Media Observatory to support independent fact-checking services, increase public knowledge about online disinformation and support public authorities responsible for monitoring digital media.

Improved cooperation

Given the borderless nature of the internet and the fast dissemination of illegal content online, Members considered that cooperation between service providers and national competent authorities, as well as cross-border cooperation between national competent authorities, should be improved and based on the principles of necessity and proportionality.

Harmonisation on liability

Members deemed it indispensable to have the full harmonisation and clarification of rules on liability at EU level to guarantee the respect of fundamental rights and the freedoms of users across the EU.

Legislative proposals should be proposed that keep the digital single market open and competitive by providing harmonised requirements for digital service providers to apply effective, coherent, transparent and fair procedures and procedural safeguards to address illegal content in line with national and European law, including via a harmonised notice-and-action procedure.

To guarantee proper enforcement of the Digital Services Act, the oversight of compliance with procedures, procedural safeguards and transparency obligations laid down in this act should be harmonised within the digital single market. A strong and rigorous enforcement by an independent EU oversight structure is supported.

Documents
2020/10/20
   EP - End of procedure in Parliament
2020/10/19
   EP - Debate in Parliament
2020/10/01
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary
Details

The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs adopted the own-initiative report by (Kris PEETERS, EPP, BE) on the Digital Services Act and fundamental rights issues posed.

Members stressed that fundamental rights, such as the protection of privacy and personal data, the principle of non-discrimination, as well as freedom of expression and information, need

to be ingrained at the core of a successful and durable EU policy on digital services. The types of digital services and the roles of digital service providers have drastically changed since the adoption of the e-Commerce Directive 20 years ago.

Data protection rules applicable to all providers offering digital services in the EU’s territory, on the other hand, were recently updated and harmonised across the EU with the General Data Protection Regulation.

Tailored approach

In this regard, Members urged the Commission to adopt a tailored regulatory approach in order to address the differences that still persist between online and offline worlds and the challenges raised by the diversity of actors and services offered online. The considered it essential to apply different regulatory approaches to illegal and legal content. Illegal content online and cyber-enabled crimes should be tackled with the same rigour and on the basis of the same legal principles as illegal content and criminal behaviour offline, and with the same guarantees for citizens.

Illegal content

The report deemed it necessary that illegal content be removed swiftly and consistently in order to address crimes and fundamental rights violations. Illegal content online should not only be removed by online platforms, but should also be followed up by law enforcement and the judiciary where criminal acts are concerned.

Special attention should be paid to harmful content in the context of minors using the internet, especially as regards to their exposure to cyberbullying, sexual harassment, pornography, violence and self-harm.

Members called on the Commission to consider obliging online platforms to report serious crime to the competent authority when they have received knowledge of such a crime.

Improved cooperation

Given the borderless nature of the internet and the fast dissemination of illegal content online, Members considered that cooperation between service providers and national competent authorities, as well as cross-border cooperation between national competent authorities, should be improved and based on the principles of necessity and proportionality.

Member States are called on to equip their law enforcement and judicial authorities with the necessary expertise, resources and tools to allow them to effectively and efficiently deal with the increasing number of cases involving illegal content online and with dispute resolution concerning the taking offline of content, and to improve access to justice in the area of digital services.

The report highlighted the fact that a specific piece of content may be deemed illegal in one Member State but is covered by the right to freedom of expression in another. Members suggested that the current EU legal framework governing digital services should be updated with a view to addressing the challenges posed by the fragmentation between the Member States and new technologies, as well as ensuring legal clarity and respect for fundamental rights, in particular the freedom of expression.

Harmonisation on liability

Members deemed it indispensable to have the full harmonisation and clarification of rules on liability at EU level to guarantee the respect of fundamental rights and the freedoms of users across the EU. Legislative proposals should be proposed that keep the digital single market open and competitive by providing harmonised requirements for digital service providers to apply effective, coherent, transparent and fair procedures and procedural safeguards to address illegal content in line with national and European law, including via a harmonised notice-and-action procedure.

In order to guarantee proper enforcement of the Digital Services Act, the oversight of compliance with procedures, procedural safeguards and transparency obligations laid down in this act should be harmonised within the digital single market. A strong and rigorous enforcement by an independent EU oversight structure is supported.

Documents
2020/09/22
   EP - Vote in committee
2020/07/20
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2020/07/08
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2020/06/24
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2020/04/27
   EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2020/02/28
   EP - BIELAN Adam (ECR) appointed as rapporteur in IMCO
2020/02/19
   EP - PEETERS Kris (EPP) appointed as rapporteur in LIBE
2020/02/19
   EP - KAMMEREVERT Petra (S&D) appointed as rapporteur in CULT
2020/01/16
   EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament

Documents

Activities

Votes

A9-0172/2020 - Kris Peeters - Résolution #

2020/10/20 Outcome: +: 566, 0: 80, -: 45
IT ES PL DE RO FR HU PT BG SE NL EL BE CZ SK HR IE DK AT LT FI SI LV CY EE MT LU
Total
74
58
50
94
33
78
21
21
17
20
29
20
21
21
14
11
12
13
19
11
14
8
8
6
7
5
6
icon: PPE PPE
184

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Latvia PPE

2
2

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1

Malta PPE

2

Luxembourg PPE

2
icon: S&D S&D
139

Greece S&D

2

Denmark S&D

2

Lithuania S&D

2

Slovenia S&D

2

Latvia S&D

2

Cyprus S&D

2

Estonia S&D

2

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1
icon: Renew Renew
98

Italy Renew

For (1)

1

Hungary Renew

2

Slovakia Renew

2

Croatia Renew

For (1)

1

Ireland Renew

2

Austria Renew

For (1)

1

Lithuania Renew

2

Finland Renew

3

Slovenia Renew

2

Latvia Renew

For (1)

1

Estonia Renew

3

Luxembourg Renew

2
icon: ECR ECR
61

Germany ECR

For (1)

1

Romania ECR

1

Bulgaria ECR

2

Netherlands ECR

Abstain (1)

4

Greece ECR

1

Croatia ECR

For (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

1

Latvia ECR

2
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
39

Sweden GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Netherlands GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Belgium GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Czechia GUE/NGL

1

Denmark GUE/NGL

1

Finland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Cyprus GUE/NGL

2
icon: NI NI
28

Germany NI

Against (1)

2

Hungary NI

1

Netherlands NI

1

Slovakia NI

Against (1)

2
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
69

Spain Verts/ALE

3

Poland Verts/ALE

Abstain (1)

1

Portugal Verts/ALE

Abstain (1)

1

Sweden Verts/ALE

3

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Belgium Verts/ALE

3

Czechia Verts/ALE

3

Ireland Verts/ALE

2

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Lithuania Verts/ALE

2

Finland Verts/ALE

3

Latvia Verts/ALE

Abstain (1)

1

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

Abstain (1)

1
icon: ID ID
73

Netherlands ID

Against (1)

1

Czechia ID

Against (2)

2

Denmark ID

Abstain (1)

1

Austria ID

3

Finland ID

2

Estonia ID

Abstain (1)

1
AmendmentsDossier
397 2020/2022(INI)
2020/04/28 CULT 51 amendments...
source: 650.541
2020/05/07 IMCO 79 amendments...
source: 650.628
2020/06/24 LIBE 267 amendments...
source: 653.762

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

committees/0/shadows/4/group
Old
Confederal Group of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left
New
The Left group in the European Parliament - GUE/NGL
docs/0/docs/0/url
Old
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Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
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Old
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New
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events/2/summary
  • The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs adopted the own-initiative report by (Kris PEETERS, EPP, BE) on the Digital Services Act and fundamental rights issues posed.
  • Members stressed that fundamental rights, such as the protection of privacy and personal data, the principle of non-discrimination, as well as freedom of expression and information, need
  • to be ingrained at the core of a successful and durable EU policy on digital services. The types of digital services and the roles of digital service providers have drastically changed since the adoption of the e-Commerce Directive 20 years ago.
  • Data protection rules applicable to all providers offering digital services in the EU’s territory, on the other hand, were recently updated and harmonised across the EU with the General Data Protection Regulation.
  • Tailored approach
  • In this regard, Members urged the Commission to adopt a tailored regulatory approach in order to address the differences that still persist between online and offline worlds and the challenges raised by the diversity of actors and services offered online. The considered it essential to apply different regulatory approaches to illegal and legal content. Illegal content online and cyber-enabled crimes should be tackled with the same rigour and on the basis of the same legal principles as illegal content and criminal behaviour offline, and with the same guarantees for citizens.
  • Illegal content
  • The report deemed it necessary that illegal content be removed swiftly and consistently in order to address crimes and fundamental rights violations. Illegal content online should not only be removed by online platforms, but should also be followed up by law enforcement and the judiciary where criminal acts are concerned.
  • Special attention should be paid to harmful content in the context of minors using the internet, especially as regards to their exposure to cyberbullying, sexual harassment, pornography, violence and self-harm.
  • Members called on the Commission to consider obliging online platforms to report serious crime to the competent authority when they have received knowledge of such a crime.
  • Improved cooperation
  • Given the borderless nature of the internet and the fast dissemination of illegal content online, Members considered that cooperation between service providers and national competent authorities, as well as cross-border cooperation between national competent authorities, should be improved and based on the principles of necessity and proportionality.
  • Member States are called on to equip their law enforcement and judicial authorities with the necessary expertise, resources and tools to allow them to effectively and efficiently deal with the increasing number of cases involving illegal content online and with dispute resolution concerning the taking offline of content, and to improve access to justice in the area of digital services.
  • The report highlighted the fact that a specific piece of content may be deemed illegal in one Member State but is covered by the right to freedom of expression in another. Members suggested that the current EU legal framework governing digital services should be updated with a view to addressing the challenges posed by the fragmentation between the Member States and new technologies, as well as ensuring legal clarity and respect for fundamental rights, in particular the freedom of expression.
  • Harmonisation on liability
  • Members deemed it indispensable to have the full harmonisation and clarification of rules on liability at EU level to guarantee the respect of fundamental rights and the freedoms of users across the EU. Legislative proposals should be proposed that keep the digital single market open and competitive by providing harmonised requirements for digital service providers to apply effective, coherent, transparent and fair procedures and procedural safeguards to address illegal content in line with national and European law, including via a harmonised notice-and-action procedure.
  • In order to guarantee proper enforcement of the Digital Services Act, the oversight of compliance with procedures, procedural safeguards and transparency obligations laid down in this act should be harmonised within the digital single market. A strong and rigorous enforcement by an independent EU oversight structure is supported.
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