Brussels, 22/08/2013 (Agence Europe) - The liberals and social democrats at the European Parliament are extremely critical of the action of the British authorities with regard to The Guardian newspaper, which is at the origin of the revelations on the American spy programmes on Europeans (see EUROPE 10904).
“It is essential that the freedom of the press is upheld and that the media are free to protect their sources and the information obtained. The public has a right to know when our governments are stepping out of line (…) Europe cannot credibly promote human rights, democracy and the rule of law in the world if it violates those principles at home”, said Sophia in 't Veld (ALDE, Netherlands) . She recalls that the European Parliament will carry out an inquiry into the Prism affair. On behalf of the S&D Group, Hannes Swoboda (Austria) said that the British authorities had lost their judicial compass, recalling that the UK had signed the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union in 2000.
On Thursday, European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Viviane Reding supported the efforts of the Council of Europe secretary general, Thorbjorn Jagland, who asked the UK to prove the compatibility of its action with its obligations as a member of the international organisation. (MB/transl.fl)