Announcing PdF Brussels, May 31st!
BY Antonella Napolitano | Monday, May 7 2012
This month, PDF finally comes to Brussels! Over the years, we have covered many issues related to techpolitics within the EU institutions. So, for us, it just felt natural to organize a PDF event in Brussels, where most of these decisions are made. The next European elections are less than two years away; the economic crisis has left many countries across the continent in a similar situation; unemployment is rising, political extremism is rising, digital media is the norm: is a European public sphere also being formed online? Read More
Still a Long Way to Go for Spain's First Transparency Law
BY Antonella Napolitano | Monday, April 23 2012
Last Wednesday, the Spanish government presented a draft freedom of information law at the Open Government Partnership conference in Brasilia, but faced strong criticism coming from civil society and NGOs. For the first time in Spain, the law will create specific rules for information access and transparency. Activists, though, argue that the draft is not strong enough and does not meet international standards, as it fails to recognize access as a fundamental right and gives a restrictive definition of the information that can be accessed. Read More
ACTA Rapporteur Says He'll Recommend Against the Treaty
BY Antonella Napolitano | Tuesday, April 17 2012
British MEP David Martin, responsible for providing guidance to European Parliament on the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, will recommend the rejection of the treaty, he announced on April 12. Martin will submit his final report to the International Trade Committee, the main parliamentary committee involved in the ACTA debate, later this month. Read More
Is It Time for Transparency in Spain?
BY Antonella Napolitano | Monday, April 2 2012
The right-leaning government of Spain is working on the creation of a new transparency and information access law, for the first time in the history of the country. In the expectation that Spain will adopt the new law soon, two open government NGOs recently launched a new site, Tuderechoasaber.es (Your Right to Know). The site helps citizens find the right body to address a freedom of information request. Read More
European Parliament does not refer ACTA to Court of Justice, Final Vote Set in June
BY Antonella Napolitano | Wednesday, March 28 2012
Yesterday, the European Parliament's International Trade Committee (INTA) voted against the referral of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), the highest court in matters of European Union law. The European Commission, the EU's executive body, already indicated it would refer the agreement to the Court a month ago, in order to assess whether ACTA is incompatible with the European Union’s fundamental rights. The commission's referral won't delay the parliament, the EU's legislative body, from voting to ratify the treaty. Read More
François Hollande during a public speech. Photo:
Can an Obama-like Campaign Work in France?
BY Antonella Napolitano | Wednesday, March 21 2012
According to a recent survey, 39% of French people say the Internet will play an important role in the electoral campaign. The main opponent to President Sarkozy, the Socialist candidate François Hollande, seems to consider the web as an important battlefield. His digital strategy seems inspired by the 2008 Obama campaign. Will it be enough to generate the same kind of mass participation in online politics in France? Read More
The European Citizens' Initiative: a New Way to Shape up Debates?
BY Antonella Napolitano | Thursday, March 15 2012
Starting next April 1st, European citizens will have another tool to be part of a public debate in a more substantial way, thanks to the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), a form of petition that will allow them to propose legislation to the European Commission, the executive body of the European Union. Will it be a new way to shape up political debates in the European Union? Read More
As Public ACTA Debate Begins, Controversy Remains
BY Antonella Napolitano | Monday, March 5 2012
The European conversation over a controversial trade agreement has become laden with "organized misinformation," EU Commissioner for Trade Karel de Gucht said Saturday. De Gucht's comments come after his attendance at a March 1 workshop hosted by the parliament's trade committee, the primary venue for discussion of ACTA in the EU's popularly elected body. It was an opportunity for opponents of the treaty to weigh in on its provisions. Read More
The French data protection authority says that Google's new policy violates EU data protection law
BY Antonella Napolitano | Wednesday, February 29 2012
On Thursday, Google’s new privacy policy will become effective for all users. Its application, though, may turn controversial especially in Europe: the French data protection authority declared that it violates the European Union data protection law. The French organization was asked to conduct the investigation by request of the Article 29 Working Party, a body comprising representatives from the data protection authority of each EU member state, the European Data Protection Supervisor and the European Commission. Read More
Amid Protests and a Court Case, ACTA Set to Come Before EU Parliament
BY Antonella Napolitano | Friday, February 24 2012
Next week the European Parliament will start discussing the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, or ACTA, a controversial treaty that would set new international standards for dealing with copyright infringements. Next June, the European Parliament will have to vote to ratify or reject the treaty, but what seemed to be little more than a technicality now represents a crucial moment in a public debate on Internet freedom and digital rights. Read More