WRITTEN QUESTION E-1311/01 by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Council. Freedom of information in Italy and Article 11 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
Date: 2001-05-04
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, Italy, freedom of communication, freedom of expression

4.4.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 81 E/19

Reply

(20 November 2001)

Concerning the first and third questions, the Council has not received any proposal from the Commission.

As regards the second question, the attention of the Honourable MEP is drawn to the fact that it is not up
to the Council to comment or to evaluate, in general or on specific points, the legal system of Member
States.

(2002/C 81 E/023)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1311/01

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Council

(4 May 2001)

Subject: Freedom of information in Italy and Article 11 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights

Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union reads: (cid:145)1. Everyone has the right to
freedom of expression. This right shall
include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart
information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers. 2. The freedom
and pluralism of the media shall be respected.(cid:146)

Can the Council state whether Italy(cid:146)s national law No 62 of 7 March 2001: (cid:145)New rules on publishing and
on publishing products and amendments to Law No 416 of 5 August 1981(cid:146), published in Italy(cid:146)s Official
Journal No 67 of 21 March 2001, is not in open breach of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the
European Union?

Reply

(21 November 2001)

The Council would inform the Honourable Member that, apart from the cases provided for in Article 7 of
the Treaty on European Union, it is not for the Council to express an opinion on the observance of
fundamental rights in the Member States.

The Council would also draw the Honourable Member(cid:146)s attention to the fact that, pursuant to Article 51 of
the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, its provisions (cid:145)are addressed to the institutions
and bodies of the Union with due regard for the principle of subsidiarity and to the Member States only
when they are implementing Union law(cid:146).

(2002/C 81 E/024)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1333/01

by Ilka Schr(cid:246)der (GUE/NGL) to the Council

(24 April 2001)

Subject: Integration of European intelligence structures

In recent weeks, several commentators have argued that the establishment of EU military structures under
the common foreign and security policy, such as the setting up last February of the Political and Security
Committee, the EU Military Committee and the Military General Staff, will inevitably culminate in the
setting up of the EU(cid:146)s own intelligence service. Particularly during the Kosovo conflict, it is reported that
military contingents from the EU Member States involved became painfully aware of just how dependent
they were on information supplied to them by US intelligence.

Does the Council share the view that Europe(cid:146)s own intelligence capabilities are indeed lacking?