Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-10-08-Speech-4-022"
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"en.20091008.5.4-022"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, freedom of the press and of information is a fundamental and inalienable right, because it is part of human development. Moreover, it is, as you said, Mrs Reding, recognised by Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights on pluralism and Article 51 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union on freedom of expression.
It is on the basis both of this European law and of the recommendations of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and of the OSCE on freedom of the media that our Parliament believes that the President of the Council of Ministers of Italy, the head of what was, after all, a founder member of the European Community, is violating the principles of freedom and pluralism of the press in several ways. He has turned common public assets such as information and culture into true commodities for profit by building a media empire consisting of several television and radio channels, publishing houses, advertising agencies, insurance companies and banks.
What is more, the President of the Italian Council has a say in who is appointed in the public sector of the media. This virtual monopoly on information and its financing allows him to dominate, control and direct not only the majority of the audiovisual press and publishing media, but also their content, to his sole advantage. Such a system of thought-policing is incompatible with fundamental democratic debate, which alone ensures that there is real pluralism of the press and of the media. Let us add that, since the same man and his family hold both the political power and the media power, we are faced with an obvious conflict of interest that is incompatible with a major democracy, a democracy that is modern and vibrant, thanks to its active citizens.
Moreover, Mr Berlusconi wants to limit the publication of judicial information, sues and threatens journalists who criticise him, and sues Italian newspapers such as
and even the daily
published by Italian bishops. European newspapers, including the French magazine
are also threatened. Ultimately, the independent written press is being crippled financially in two ways: by the ‘Tremonti’ Decree of 6 August 2008, which reduces public aid for independent newspapers, and by advertising budget cuts. The Berlusconi thought police are now also targeting the constitutional court, the magistrates, the Federation of Independent Journalists and even the very parliament that Mr Berlusconi is bringing into disrepute.
Under these circumstances, if, on all sides of this House, we are willing to take action to defend what we call the democratic values of the European Union, then we must issue a solemn warning and, Commissioner, we must enforce European law as you have worded it, and say, together with the thousands of Italian intellectuals, creators and journalists, that the freedom to inform and the freedom to be informed must be respected unconditionally in Italy as in the whole of the European Union.
That is why I am proposing to our Parliament the creation of a European observatory on pluralism of the media and the press. This observatory would monitor respect for the principle of the separation of powers between political power and media power throughout the Union, the implementation of a maximum concentration threshold in the media, respect for journalists’ rights to inform, and respect for publication rights for independent newspapers.
It would link our Parliament to the national parliaments, to editors and producers, to journalists’ associations, to readers and to television viewers. This observatory could prepare a draft directive against concentration and for pluralism. This would be one way, Mr President, of keeping democracy alive within our Europe."@en1
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"Avvenire"1
"La Repubblica, L'Unità"1
"Le Nouvel Observateur"1
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