Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-07-21-Speech-3-129"
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"en.20040721.6.3-129"2
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"President-Designate, during the hearing before the Group of the Party of European Socialists, in reply to my question on foreign policy and, in particular, on the circumstances which led to your support for the decision in favour of unilateral intervention in Iraq, you said that, being a politician and not a technocrat, you had to give an opinion and take a stand at that time.
This means that, with your candidacy, you wish to help politicise the political life of Europe. You strongly and repeatedly stressed this notion, including today. Nevertheless, I am afraid that this was not the reasoning which led and motivated the governments to nominate you, because you well know that politics presupposes the development of a dialectic, with the citizens then being in a position to understand the alternatives and to assess the differences between positions, particularly when they concern fundamental issues such as war and peace. This is also why many younger generations are staying away from the ballot boxes, as they do not properly understand the alternatives that politics offers them.
The matter I wish to raise with you today, however, is different and just as important. You will be aware that, on 22 April this year, Parliament adopted a resolution on the risk of a breach of the freedom of information in the European Union, and in particular in Italy. Following that vote, there has been a continued trend for media concentration in France and the accession countries, while in Italy a law on conflict of interests has been adopted which leaves control of television stations in the hands of the Prime Minister. Instead, the European Parliament hoped to see the introduction of legal instruments which would prohibit political figures or candidates from holding direct interests in the information sector. Moreover, there was the terrible news a few days ago of the two journalists killed in Russia, and you know how serious the issue of freedom of the press is in countries with which we have international relations.
Mr Barroso, I therefore have a very specific question, and I hope that your reply will be just as clear. Do you intend to act on the European Parliament’s request, that is, undertake to produce a draft directive on the protection of media pluralism? Having said that you wish to give importance, prestige and autonomy to the Commission with respect to the Council and in partnership with Parliament, do you think that you can make this commitment now? If you receive a positive vote from this House tomorrow, will this matter be included in the programme that you will put forward in October?"@en1
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