Brussels, 07/01/2011 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament wants clarification of the Hungarian law on the media and is preparing its response. First to move is the civil liberties, justice and home affairs committee (LIBE). On the initiative of several political groups, the Socialists and Liberals, joined by the Greens (the EPP raised no objections), a debate in committee has been called for with the competent commissioners, Neelie Kroes and Viviane Reding. The political groups would like to see this debate take place before the first plenary session which begins in Strasbourg on Monday 17 January. The LIBE coordinators will give further information on the follow up to the request on Tuesday afternoon 8 January. The groups want to discuss how the new law is being applied and to assess where it might contravene the European Charter of Fundamental Rights. For the moment, a source has said, it is just a discussion and a “matter of seeing where the leaders of the groups want to take the issue”.
On Tuesday, the ALDE Group will also open hostilities with a public hearing on “ the freedom of the press in Hungary” which Kroes has been asked to attend. Group leader Guy Verhofstadt says that this law is a savage attack on the freedom of the press “whereby critical media and public debate will be silenced, the free market economy will be violated and political independence will be denied”. Similar fears have also been raised by the S&D Group, which is deeply concerned about a law that limits freedom of the press and endangers the right to receive and to give information without political interference as is stipulated in the Charter of Fundamental Rights. The IPA (International Press Association) has also expressed its concerns at the new Hungarian law on media services and mass communication which “endangers media freedom” and has promised action.
In Budapest on Friday, the Hungarian Presidency again tried to limit damage. It said it was confident of the findings of the European Commission legal investigation which has just opened - an investigation “on the original text” of the law, said Commission spokesman Olivier Bailly, “not on the English translation” delivered by the Hungarian authorities on Wednesday. It would appear that this translated version contains some significant omissions, for example on the highly controversial “Media Council” set up by the law. (Cor./transl.rt)