Brussels, 11/12/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 11 December, the European Parliament called on the European Commission and European Council to adopt “as soon as possible” a strategy on digital freedom as part of the European Union's foreign policy. It also encourages the special representative of the EU for human rights to make digital freedom one of his “essential priorities”. In the MEPs' opinion, the fight for human rights bears a strong technological dimension, with digital freedom having to be considered as a fundamental right.
In the resolution that they adopted, the MEPs call on the Commission to fight against the punishment of legitimate online expression and they call for the adoption of restrictive laws aiming to legitimise such measures in third countries. They call for a ban on exports, to authoritarian regimes, of technology and services used for purposes of repression - whether this be for censure, surveillance, reconnaissance or the pursuit of human rights defenders, journalists, activists and dissidents.
The Parliament also wants the promotion and protection of digital freedom to be integrated into all EU external actions, policies and financial instruments. In addition, the MEPs call for the inclusion - in free trade agreements signed with international partners - of clauses of conditionality providing for transparent safeguard mechanisms, which preserve unrestricted access to the internet and guarantee the free circulation of information. They also stress the importance of digital freedom in accession negotiations for the EU.
Rapporteur Marietje Schaake (ALDE, Netherlands) said that the EU must make the first move in the world for the promotion and protection of digital freedom by creating synergies between trade, security and foreign policies, aligning our values and interests. (CG/transl.fl)