European Parliament resolution on the media and development (2006/2080(INI))
Date: 2006-09-26
Institutions: Committee on Development, European Parliament
Subjects: development policy, information policy, mass media, public awareness campaign

C 306 E/96

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

15.12.2006

Tuesday 26 September 2006

1.

Decides to defend the immunity and privileges of Jannis Sakellariou;

Instructs its President to forward this decision, and the report of the committee responsible, immedi-

2.
ately to the division for civil matters of the Athens Court of First Instance.

P6_TA(2006)0360

Media and development

European Parliament resolution on the media and development (2006/2080(INI))

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted on 8 September 2000 at the UN

Millennium Summit in New York,

— having regard to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

(CEDAW), adopted on 18 December 1979 by the UN General Assembly,

— having regard to the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development, adopted on 4 September

2002 by the World Summit on Sustainable Development,

— having regard to the resolution on the results of the special session of the United Nations General
Assembly of 5-9 June 2000 on ‘Women 2000: Equality, Development and Peace for the Twenty-First
Century’, adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 12 October 2000 in Brussels (1),

— having regard to the resolution on the rights of disabled people and older people in ACP countries,

adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 1 November 2001 in Brussels (2),

— having regard to Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 10 of the 1950
European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Article 13 of the
1969 American Convention on Human Rights, and Article 9 of the 1981 African Charter on Human
and Peoples' Rights,

— having regard to the Partnership Agreement between the members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific
Group of States of the one part, and the European Community and its Members States of the other
part, signed in Cotonou, on 23 June 2000 (3), which entered into force on 1 April 2003, and in par-
ticular Article 43, which deals with information and communication technologies and the information
society,

— having regard to the resolution on the progress made in achieving universal primary education and
gender equality in the ACP countries in the context of the MDGs, adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parlia-
mentary Assembly on 21 April 2005 in Bamako (4),

— having regard to its resolution of 12 June 2001 on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

and developing countries (5),

— having regard to the ‘Geneva Declaration of Principles’ and the ‘Plan of Action’ of the World Summit on

the Information Society (WSIS), adopted on 12 December 2003,

— having regard to the ‘Dakar Declaration’ on the Promotion of ACP cultures and cultural industries,

signed by Ministers of Culture of the ACP States on 20 June 2003,

(1) OJ C 64, 28.2.2001, p. 49.
(2) OJ C 78, 2.4.2002, p. 64.
(3) OJ L 317, 15.12.2000, p. 3. Agreement as last amended by the Agreement amending the Partnership Agreement

(OJ L 209, 11.8.2005, p. 27).

(4) OJ C 272, 3.11.2005, p. 17.
(5) OJ C 53 E, 28.2.2002, p. 121.

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— having regard to the ‘Tunis Commitment’ adopted by the WSIS on 18 November 2005,

Tuesday 26 September 2006

— having regard to Rule 45 of its Rules of Procedure,

— having regard to the report of the Committee on Development and the opinion of the Committee on

Culture and Education (A6-0264/2006),

A. whereas the primary role of the media is the dissemination of information, a process through which
they provide citizens with an effective circulation of news, policies and activities of governments,

B. whereas the media are the most important vehicle for public participation in the decision-making

process,

C. whereas the media have a particularly important role to play in consciousness-shaping and in imparting

information,

D. whereas the media can help a country's development, because people's quality of life can be affected by
ICT; the media can have a positive influence on people's mentality, culture, and the socio-political
framework; and the shaping of the civil and political consciousness of citizens could lead to more
representative government,

E. whereas improving information flows and communication services is a necessary condition by which to
eliminate poverty and whereas freedom of expression, including access to information and a free press,
is a fundamental human right that allows people to demand the right to health, to a clean environment
and to the effective implementation of poverty-reduction strategies,

F. whereas a lack of information or inappropriate communication strategies by governments and inter-

governmental agencies can lead to mistrust, misrepresentation and disinformation,

G. whereas in 2005, 63 journalists were killed and in 2006, to date, 27 journalists and 12 media assistants
have been killed, while 135 remain imprisoned, according to the statistics of professional organisations,

H. whereas radio and television are important information tools that are much more widespread in devel-

oping countries than telephones or the Internet and much more effective than newspapers,

I. whereas rural radio represents a fundamental tool for agricultural extension and rural development,

J. whereas a well-informed and independent civil society (non-governmental organisations (NGOs), pro-
fessional associations, independent media, research institutions, etc) can play a crucial role in breaking
the circle of violence and corruption by encouraging open debate and demanding more accountable
government,

K. whereas a free press is a central condition for the development and maintenance of a transparent and
honest government, durable economic growth and progress in social and political development and
stability,

L. whereas more than 20 countries in Africa have only one newspaper (while in 2004, there were 1456

daily papers in the 25 Member States), which is not surprising, given the high rate of illiteracy,

M. whereas in regions where illiteracy is very extensive, radio is the most appropriate communications
technology, because it is available to the majority of people, and particularly to disenfranchised rural
communities, women and the young,

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Tuesday 26 September 2006

N. whereas fewer than 30 % of broadcast television programmes in developing countries are own produc-

tions and the level of investment in the field of television communication is particularly low,

O. whereas the cinema has registered very high records in developing countries' audiences in recent years,

P. whereas ICT can be used in many ways in support of education in developing countries and as a way
out of isolation (particularly thanks to satellite links) while more traditional ICT (radio and television)
can lay claim to numerous successes in distance education at competitive costs,

Q. whereas computerisation has substantially improved journalists' work and the networking of computers
between different departments has saved a considerable amount of time; whereas Internet connections
also facilitate journalists' work, enabling them to draw on more varied sources and complementary
information as well as reporting in the field,

1.
Recognises the important role of the media on government transparency, accountability and the public
scrutiny of decision-makers in power, by highlighting policy failures, maladministration by public officials,
corruption in the judiciary and scandals in the corporate sector;

2.
Calls on the European Union (EU), Member States, the acceding countries and the ACP countries to
involve civil society organisations, including private enterprises, and particularly the media, in attaining their
objectives for development;

3.
Considers it important to further improve the dialogue and consultation between local non-State
players and national authorities in developing countries in crucial areas, such as the media, in order to
strengthen the abilities, accountability and transparency of public institutions and to increase public sector
effectiveness in applying the principles of respect for human rights and good governance and in fighting
corruption;

Affirms the importance of ensuring a more systematic integration of freedom of expression and com-

4.
munication within the strategies and funding policies of the development agenda;

Underlines the importance of the media in fostering respect for cultural diversity and promoting

5.
national and international cultural development;

6.
Insists that the role of the media is not restricted to mainstream models, but that alternative media
and informal communication networks should be strengthened and included in any infrastructure develop-
ment plan;

Calls on the Commission to place further emphasis on and to support programmes in the area of the

7.
media that will help to:

— improve access to information for particular groups in society, such as women, youth, minorities,

internally displaced people and disabled people,

— develop pluralism in the media,

— train radio and print journalists,

— train journalists in developing countries with the collaboration of UN organisations such as Unicef and
Unesco and international journalists' organisations such as the International Federation of Journalists
and the BBC World Service Trust,

— develop public information campaigns in order to raise awareness among well-targeted audiences

— increase the effectiveness of humanitarian aid;

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C 306 E/99

Considers that funding programmes with a mandate on and for development should include a more

8.
systematic integration of State-independent media;

Tuesday 26 September 2006

Calls for women's effective access to the media in order to achieve an increase in their participation in

9.
production and to contribute to economic development;

Underlines the importance of considering youth as the pivotal component in facilitating and organis-

10.
ing information and communication mechanisms in developing countries;

11. Welcomes and supports events such as:

— the European Development Days organised by the Commission as a tool to further sensitise the public

and to increase visibility for the better use of development aid,

— the World Congress Communication for Development, organised by the World Bank and to be held in

Rome in 25 to 27 October 2006,

— the Lorenzo Natali Prize, with which the Commission offers to support journalists from the written
press who have witnessed significant levels of discrimination when reporting on human rights and
democracy in the developing world,

— the fact-finding visits by journalists, in cooperation with the office of the EU High Representative for
the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), Javier Solana, to regions where missions are taking
place in the context of the CFSP (Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova, etc.) and visits by journalists to
observe elections (e.g. to Congo);

12.
Supports all government policies that provide support for public service radio, commercial radio,
community radio and rural radio, as it is widely seen as the most appropriate and cost-effective tool for
promoting information and communication for development;

Appeals to the Commission, in emerging conflict situations, to direct more attention and to increase

13.
the most direct possible financial support to the independent media;

14.
Underlines the role of the media in the education of people in developing countries, especially in
terms of health care (sexual and reproductive health, malaria, etc.), employment, agriculture, trade, and
environmental sustainability, such as the role played by the BBC World Service Trust for the use of com-
munications for development;

Understands the problem of the ‘personalisation’ of news, which can manipulate both the audience of
15.
developing countries and the western public, and encourages the organisations that provide training to
journalists to give particular importance to the achievement of a minimum salary for people working in
the media, which will make them less vulnerable to corruption;

Realises that independent and professional media play a key role in providing knowledge and in
16.
giving a voice to marginalised people, by developing a culture of criticism where people are less apprehen-
sive about questioning government action;

Supports NGOs and trusts which invest in the education of journalists in developing countries and
17.
which improve the working conditions of media professionals so that they have a real chance to do their
work in a secure and independent way;

Underlines the importance of strengthening the social and educational infrastructure by investing in

18.
better schoolbooks and funding media programmes which also offer educational content;

Encourages the role of the media in peace-process and post-conflict situations, by helping to inform

19.
the public about peace agreements and their implications and thereby facilitating public participation;

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Tuesday 26 September 2006

20.
Stresses the decisive role of the media in promoting the protection of human rights in developing
countries and in raising public awareness in countries in the West and, by extension, increasing their con-
tribution to humanitarian aid;

21.
Calls on governments and public authorities throughout the world to end in particular the culture of
impunity regarding violence against journalists by investigating and punishing those responsible for attacks
on media professionals, and by taking the necessary precautions that make it possible for journalists to
continue to provide citizens with the essential knowledge and objective information that flow from a free
and independent press;

22.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission, to the govern-
ments and parliaments of the Member States and of the acceding countries, to the ACP-EU Council of
Ministers, to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and to the President of the World Bank.

P6_TA(2006)0361

The European dimension of school teaching materials

European Parliament

resolution on initiatives

to complement

school curricula providing

appropriate support measures to include the European dimension (2006/2041(INI))

The European Parliament,

— having regard to Article 149 of the EC Treaty,

— having regard to the resolution for enhancing the European dimension in education (1) which the Euro-
pean Council and the Ministers of Education meeting within the Council adopted on 24 May 1988,

— having regard to the Green Paper on the European dimension of education (COM(1993)0457),

— having regard to the Commission's Communication entitled ‘A New Framework Strategy for

Multilingualism’ (COM(2005)0596),

— having regard to the joint interim report of the Council and the Commission on the implementation of
the detailed work programme on the follow-up of the objectives of education and training systems in
Europe entitled ‘Education and training 2010’ The success of the Lisbon strategy hinges on urgent
reforms (2),

— having regard to Rule 45 of its Rules of Procedure,

— having regard to the report of the Committee on Culture and Education (A6-0267/2006),

A. whereas the European dimension has become in recent decades an increasingly important aspect of

education, especially in national school curricula,

B. whereas the European Parliament is already involved in this field, particularly with the Hearing on ‘The

European Dimension in History Teaching’ of 7 April 2004,

C. whereas initiatives have already been taken by national authorities in Member States such as Austria,
Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, the UK, Slovenia and Spain on the subject of Europe's place
in education and whereas many initiatives have also been taken in this area by non-governmental
organisations,

(1) OJ C 177, 6.7.1988, p. 5.
(2) OJ C 104, 30.4.2004, p. 1.