WRITTEN QUESTION E-1778/00 by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission. Freedom of the press in Russia.
Date: 2000-06-08
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Russia, bilateral relations, communications profession, democracy, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, mass media, right to information

C 81 E/92

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.3.2001

2. The scheme is designed to compensate for the proven additional costs incurred in marketing products
outside the region. Accordingly, Article 3 of the relevant regional
legislation stipulates that the
destination markets are to be the other Member States, the United States and Canada. The annexes
to that legislation also state that firms exporting products covered by the scheme must submit a
number of specific documents, including the shippingcompany(cid:146)s invoice and the bill of lading or
international dispatch note.

(2001/C 81 E/110)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1778/00

by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission

(8 June 2000)

Subject: Freedom of the press in Russia

Does the Commission believe that the search carried out by the FSB (former KGB) in the offices of the
independent MediaMost Press Group is an indication of a new climate, 10 years after the fall of the Berlin
Wall and some years after the abolition of Communism in Russia?

Is it concerned about this attack on the freedom of the press, against MediaMost and its television station
NTV, whose President, Vladimir Goussinsky, is also an important director of the Russian Jewish Commun-
ity?

Will the Commission urge the Russian President Vladimir Putin to guarantee freedom of expression and to
denounce such practices, unacceptable in a state which is governed by the rule of law, is a member of the
Council of Europe and which hopes, one day, to join the European Union?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(5 July 2000)

The Commission like others in the international community has been closely following recent develop-
ments surrounding the media in Russia and is highly concerned about reports of incidents that could
undermine press freedom. Free speech is a vital component of any democratic society and an important
litmus test of Russian commitment to creating an open society based on the rule of law and the respect of
essential human rights. The Commission will keep the situation under close review and will continue to
raise the general issue as well as specific cases with the Russian authorities as the need arises.

In addition the delegation of the Commission in Russia has organised several meetings with both Russian
and foreign journalists to discuss the state of freedom of expression in Russia. These included prominent
journalists from network television station (NTV) and Radio Ekho Moskvy, which are both part of the
Media-Most holding. The delegation has also been involved in two other recent initiatives. It gave financial
support to the (cid:145)Pen Club(cid:146) congress in Moscow, which focused primarily on the subject of freedom of
expression and, in April 2000, it sent a group of a dozen Russian journalists to Europe.

Further, through the Community(cid:146)s Democracy Programme the Commission has been supporting a number
of Russian non-governmental organisations in the media sector and the TACIS 2000 core programme will
include activities related to the training of Russian journalists.