XL - Eiropas Parlaments - Europa

116 16-02-2011
governo ungherese si era sempre dimostrato disponibile a venire incontro alle osservazioni della Commissione europea – e
sarebbe stato strano il contrario, visto che l'Ungheria ricopre attualmente la carica della Presidenza dell'Unione europea.
Ma si è voluto andare avanti ugualmente forse – anzi, sicuramente – a causa di elementi ideologici e politici, decidendo
che questa discussione doveva svolgersi. Sono state presentate delle risoluzioni che dovrebbero essere poste in votazione
domani. Probabilmente bisognava avere più accortezza e dimostrare maggiore fiducia in quei governi eletti
democraticamente dai popoli, a cominciare da quello ungherese, eletto dal proprio popolo con una percentuale talmente
ampia da non avere certamente bisogno di manipolare i media per ottenere consensi nel proprio interno.
Personalmente ritengo che la cosa più utile da farsi sia quella di invitare i nostri colleghi socialisti e liberali, che hanno
presentato risoluzioni di un certo tipo, a ritirarle, evitando così di coprirsi di ridicolo e lasciare che questo Parlamento torni
ad occuparsi dei reali problemi dei cittadini europei. Naturalmente ringrazio la Commissaria per il lavoro svolto.
3-514
Claude Moraes, on behalf of the S&D Group. – Mr President, the Socialist and Democrat Group of course welcome the
advance in the four key areas of balanced information, the country-of-origin principle, and so on. Commissioner, of course
we welcome it. That was the text of our resolution; that was the pressure we were placing on you and the Hungarian
authorities to deliver.
First of all, I have to ask you about the timing. Was it purely coincidence, as you were waiting in the airport as you said, or
was it the fact that pressure by this Parliament has brought forward four key amendments in the four key areas we asked
for? Please let us know those concessions have been secured. Of course the Parliament has still not been able to see the
text of the negotiations between the Commission and the Hungarian authorities; therefore we require more time to fully
state our position on the matter. However, it seems clear that negotiations have not fully addressed many other serious
concerns of this Parliament and, of course, of our Socialist and Democrat Group.
Crucial issues still unanswered include the composition and time frame of the media authority and of the Media Council,
which are politically homogenous and still exert pervasive and centralised governmental, judicial and political control on
all media. We need answers on where we go on this crucial issue. Furthermore, it is regrettable that the Commission has
not acted upon the recommendations of Parliament, the Council of Europe, the Commissioner, and the OSCE for example,
on the violation of the principle of confidentiality of journalistic sources, extremely disproportionate sanctions, and
abolishing the political and financial independence of public service broadcast media.
There is a list, Commissioner, which you know of, which still needs to be answered and we need these questions to be
answered, preferably in this debate. Obviously we commend the Hungarian authority’s willingness to amend the
legislation. We also encourage the implementation of amendments to address the outstanding areas of concern for all of us
in this Parliament, whilst fully embracing the spirit of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights and, in particular,
Article 11, which protects the freedom of expression. We would like further answers on whether you believe Article 11
has been fulfilled. We must involve civil society and stakeholders to uphold principles of transparency and accountability
and to ensure best practice.
Commissioner, we tabled a resolution for our group because we wanted the concessions that you have already announced,
but we want more. Democracies are built upon the principle of a free and independent media. We make no apologies
within our group for firmly defending this principle and we will do everything in our power to protect it, for Hungarians
and all EU citizens.
3-515
Renate Weber, on behalf of the ALDE Group. – Mr President, in the past in this Parliament we have discussed cases when
different governments have shown their desire to control the media, but the attempts never went as far as in the case of the
Hungarian media law, where from television to radio, to the written press, to on-demand media, bloggers, everything is
controlled, from registration to performance and suspension.
When we, the Liberals and the Democrats, the ALDE Group in this Parliament, first raised our voice against this law, we
were accused of being politically motivated. However, experience has shown that we were right and today even the
Hungarian Government admits that something is very wrong with this law. Therefore several amendments are envisaged.
We trust the Commission that this is indeed the Hungarian position, hoping to receive it in writing, and we will closely
follow the changes.
Nevertheless, the four areas requested by the Commission are only a part of a much bigger picture. Other aspects must be
changed as well: the enormous control powers vested in the hands of a politically appointed person who has been heading
two media control authorities for nine years, the lack of protection of journalists’ sources and the lack of effective judicial
remedy, to name just a few. After all, not only our critics, but also the European Commission itself, will have to answer to
the Hungarian and European civil society and journalists to say why the OSCE and the Human Rights Commissioner of
the Council of Europe have also harshly criticised the aspects I have just mentioned.