EP Committee Admits Petitions Against Introducing Mass Media In Romania’s Defense Strategy

According to a press release, the committee will ask the European Commission and the Romanian Government to issue an official standpoint on the matter, which will be subsequently presented during the European Parliament's plenary debates on the petitions.

During recent debates in the EP's petitions committee, Romanian MEP Victor Bostinaru asked European Union Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding several questions regarding attempts to politically restrict or control the freedom of the press in several European Union member states, in general, and in Romania, in particular. Bostinaru reminded Reding that mass media is portrayed as vulnerability in Romania's Defense Strategy.

Reding said she is appalled and concerned about this depiction of the media by a Government of an EU member country, adding media is free in a free democracy. She also said one must provide solid arguments to support the statement portraying mass media as a threat to the national security and stressed she believes free media represents Europe's chance, the press release also reads.

End-September, the two Romanian media organizations filed a petition at the European Parliament to have the article depicting mass media as vulnerability eliminated from the Defense Strategy. In the petition filed at the EP's petitions committee the two organizations called on EU authorities to intervene and have the article eliminated from the strategy, and asked them to start infringement procedures against Romania for breaching EU norms, if local authorities refuse to amend the Defense Strategy.

According to procedure regulations, if a petition is admitted, the petition committee can decide to draw up a report or file a draft resolution at the European Parliament. The committee can also ask the European Commission to take note of Romania's violation of EU norms and start infringement procedures against the country.

Romania's Defense Strategy, adopted in June by the Defense Council (CSAT) and forwarded to Parliament for approval, lists "orchestrated media campaigns that denigrate state institutions by disseminating false information" among threats to national security, beside terrorism, corruption and organized crime.

The foreign policy committees in the Parliament endorsed the Strategy in August and preserved those paragraphs that picture "orchestrated media campaigns" as vulnerabilities.

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