Telecoms package negotiations

Today, the Greens/EFA Group submitted its first proposal to secure citizens' rights in the negotiations with the Council. Greens/EFA insist on maintaining Amendment 138 (1), and reject Council's persistence in trying to negotiate on the basis of an inadequate compromise, brokered by the Commission. Telecoms Package negotiations will continue with a Conciliation Delegation meeting next Tuesday in Strasbourg.

Greens/EFA MEP Philippe Lamberts (Ecolo, Belgium), a member of the European Parliament Delegation to the Conciliation Committee, commented:

"The current discussion on Amendment 138 is an acid test of the European parliament's will to uphold citizens fundamental rights. The basic principle of 'innocent until proven guilty' must be guaranteed. Bowing to narrow national interests defended by the EU Council would be a betrayal of Parliament's role as a pan European institution.

I call on all political groups in the European Parliament to maintain Amendment 138, which sets clear legal opposition to draconian measures proposed in certain Members States. It is time for Council to budge from its stubborn position and enable this legislation to pass for the benefit of the telecoms industry and consumers."

Greens/EFA MEP Christian Engström (Pirate Party, Sweden) commented:

"Amendment 138 is the same today as it was before the elections in June. It would be the worst possible betrayal to abandon our position on Amendment 138 after the elections, having supported it so strongly before them. We have now taken European Parliament's Legal Services advice on board and made our text even stronger by referring to the European Convention of Human Rights instead of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which has not yet been ratified with the Lisbon Treaty."

Notes to editors

(1) The European Parliament previously approved the Cohn-Bendit/Bono Amendment "138", which clearly states that the internet connection of net users must not be withdrawn without prior ruling by a judicial authority.