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<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">More on that, from Ms.
Reding: <br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/reding/pdf/quote_statement_en.pdf">http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/reding/pdf/quote_statement_en.pdf</a><br>
<br>
<br>
Statement by Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the European
Commission<br>
and EU Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and
Citizenship,<br>
on freedom of expression and information via the Internet,
attempts to<br>
block websites, "three-strikes-laws", and ACTA<br>
<br>
1. For the European Union, freedom of expression and freedom of<br>
information, regardless by which technological means and
regardless of<br>
frontiers, are fundamental rights. They are enshrined in the EU's
Charter of<br>
Fundamental Rights(1), which takes precedence over all EU
legislation,<br>
including international agreements concluded by the EU. The
European<br>
Union therefore stands for a freely accessible Internet and for
freedom<br>
of expression and freedom of information via the Internet.<br>
<br>
2. Intellectual property is also a fundamental right recognised by
the EU's<br>
Charter of Fundamental Rights.(2) It ensures that artistic
creations by authors<br>
are protected. However, this is not an absolute fundamental right.
European<br>
policy therefore should aim at mutually balancing the respect for
both<br>
fundamental rights, without calling into question their essence.
Freedom of<br>
information and intellectual property rights must not be enemies;
they<br>
should be partners!<br>
<br>
3. Copyright protection can never be a justification for
eliminating freedom of<br>
expression or freedom of information. That is why for me, blocking
the<br>
Internet is never an option. Instead, we need to find new, more
modern<br>
and more effective ways in Europe to protect artistic creations
that take<br>
account of technological developments and the freedoms of the
Internet.<br>
The promotion of legal offers, including across borders, should
become a<br>
priority for policy-makers.<br>
<br>
4. This is a position that I have previously defended in the
debate on the EU<br>
Telecoms Package in 2009. Some politicians wanted to include in
this<br>
legislation provisions that would have authorised a "three-strikes
solution"<br>
to protect copyright. I opposed this at the time. In spite of
significant<br>
political pressure(3), I instead supported – in the name of the
European<br>
Commission and in close alliance with the European Parliament –
the<br>
inclusion of an "Internet freedom provision" in the final text of
this<br>
</font><font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">legislation.(4)
This "Internet freedom provision" represents a great victory<br>
for the rights and freedoms of European citizens. Under this
provision,<br>
"three-strikes laws", which could cut off Internet access without
a prior fair<br>
and impartial procedure or without effective and timely judicial
review, will<br>
certainly not become part of European law.<br>
<br>
5. This situation can and must not be changed by the ACTA
agreement, which<br>
is currently under public discussion in the European Parliament
and in the<br>
national parliaments of the EU Member States. As I said, I am
against all<br>
attempts to block Internet websites. Even though the text of the
ACTA<br>
agreement does not provide for new rules compared to today's legal<br>
situation in Europe, I understand that many people are worried
about how<br>
ACTA would be implemented. I therefore welcome the intention of<br>
several members of the European Parliament to ask the European<br>
Court of Justice for a legal opinion to clarify that the ACTA
agreement<br>
cannot limit freedom of expression and freedom of the Internet.<br>
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_____<br>
1 Article 11(1) of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.<br>
2 Article 17 (2) of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.<br>
3 See the reports at <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.edri.org/book/export/html/1603">http://www.edri.org/book/export/html/1603</a>;
and at <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.ecrans.fr/Ripostegraduee">http://www.ecrans.fr/Ripostegraduee</a>-<br>
Barroso-dit-non-a,5348.html;<br>
4 See " Commission position on Amendment 138 adopted by the
European Parliament in plenary vote on 24<br>
September",
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/08/681">http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/08/681</a>;
and<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/09/491&format=HTML&aged=1&lang">http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/09/491&format=HTML&aged=1&lang</a><br>
uage=EN&guiLanguage=fr<br>
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