Motion for a recommendation | Doc. 12518 | 03 February 2011

The state of media freedom in Europe

Author(s): several Assembly members

Signatories: Mr Mats JOHANSSON, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Ms Anne BRASSEUR, Luxembourg, ALDE ; Mr Mikael CEDERBRATT, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Mr Gvozden Srećko FLEGO, Croatia, SOC ; Mr Andreas GROSS, Switzerland, SOC ; Ms Ana GUŢU, Republic of Moldova, ALDE ; Mr Serhiy HOLOVATY, Ukraine, ALDE ; Ms Sinikka HURSKAINEN, Finland, SOC ; Mr Mogens JENSEN, Denmark, SOC ; Ms Francine JOHN-CALAME, Switzerland, SOC ; Mr Albrecht KONEČNÝ, Austria, SOC ; Ms Elvira KOVÁCS, Serbia, EPP/CD ; Mr Tiny KOX, Netherlands, UEL ; Ms Muriel MARLAND-MILITELLO, France, EPP/CD ; Mr Dick MARTY, Switzerland, ALDE ; Mr Jean-Claude MIGNON, France, EPP/CD ; Mr Alejandro MUÑOZ-ALONSO, Spain, EPP/CD ; Ms Doris STUMP, Switzerland, SOC ; Mr Björn von SYDOW, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Latchezar TOSHEV, Bulgaria, EPP/CD ; Ms Renate WOHLWEND, Liechtenstein, EPP/CD ; Mr Emanuelis ZINGERIS, Lithuania, EPP/CD

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

The Parliamentary Assembly is alarmed by the fact that media freedom is increasingly challenged in Europe through serious attacks against individual journalists and writers, restrictive legislation as well as difficult working conditions for journalists.

The Assembly deplores in particular the targeted action against the media in Belarus witnessed after the presidential election of 19 December 2010, the violent attacks against Oleg Kashin and Anatoly Adamchuk in Russia in November 2010, as well as the more than 50 journalists imprisoned in Turkey today.

Freedom of expression and information is a necessary condition for the functioning of democracy. Democracy and the rule of law are necessary conditions for membership of the Council of Europe. It is therefore a key challenge for the Council of Europe to ensure that media freedom is respected in all member states.

The Assembly calls on national parliaments to review threats to media freedom in their country and recommends that the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe assist member states in this respect.