Strengthening Democracy and Media Freedom; It’s not up to the EU to deal with abortion in Poland; Webinar “Network of Networks: the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe”

Strengthening Democracy and Media Freedom

On Wednesday and Thursday of next week’s mini-plenary session, MEPs will debate and vote on an own initiative report called “strengthening Democracy and Media Freedom and Pluralism in the EU: the undue use of actions under civil and criminal law to silence journalists, NGOs and civil society.” The ECR Group agrees that journalists must be better protected from Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPS). Influential individuals, companies or public authorities apply SLAPPS against journalists or activists to scare them away from actions or publications by threatening them with legal fees or time-consuming procedures. However, the ECR Group also stresses that people must have access to justice if they feel that their private or family life is being violated by journalists overstepping laws. The report exceeds the limits conferred upon the EU by the Treaties regarding domestic civil and criminal procedures.

Debate: Wednesday @ 15:00

Vote: Thursday @ 11:00

It’s not up to the EU to deal with abortion in Poland

On Thursday, the European Parliament will vote on a resolution criticising Poland for sticking to its national rules on abortion that were introduced a year ago. The ECR Group recalls that abortion policy is a national competence in which the EU has no say. If the EU wants to live up to its slogan “United in Diversity”, it must also respect European peoples’ diverse values and political cultures.

Vote: Thursday @ 11:00

Webinar “Network of Networks: the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe”

On Wednesday, a webinar organised and hosted by MEP Charlie Weimers, Chair of the ECR’s Working Group on Religious Freedom, will bring together key experts on the Muslim Brotherhood to discuss the organisation’s radical intolerant Islamist ideology that runs counter to European values and fundamental rights. The webinar will explore research and case studies on how the organisation’s ideology and activities threaten social cohesion and the Member States’ national security. The experts will also provide concrete policy recommendations on how European governments and the EU institutions can best counter the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe as part of the continent’s fight against terrorism and radicalisation.

Panellists: Charlie Weimers, MEP; Dr. Paul Stott, Head of Security and Extremism, Policy Exchange, UK; Prof. Dr. Ruud Koopmans, Director, Migration, Integration, Transnationalisation Research Unit, Berlin Social Science Centre, (WZB), DE; Dr. Tommaso Virgili, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Berlin Social Science Center (WZB), DE; Moderator: Dr. Richard Burchill, Senior Fellow, European Foundation for Democracy, BE

You can follow the live broadcast here.

When: Wednesday @ 13:30 - 15:00

More information is available on the website of the ECR Group.