Text tabled : B7-0191/2011

  Iosif Matula (PPE), in writing. – (RO) I support the amendment of the provisions in the Hungarian press law regarded by the European Commission as less democratic, and I welcome the amendments made to the regulatory act by the government in Budapest. However, I did not vote for the resolution signed by the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance and the Confederal Group of the European United Left – Nordic Green Left because I feel that the measures being proposed are excessive if we consider similar laws in other Member States, but which have not been sanctioned publicly. A free press is irrefutably a measure of the degree of democracy in a society. In the European Union it is well known that freedom of expression is virtually unrestricted. However, we must not confuse this fundamental right with the freedom to utter any information without consequence or responsibility and without having conclusive proof. This is precisely why clear laws are required, which will set the boundaries within which any journalistic activity needs to operate. The Hungarian press law was drafted in this context, in the wake of the European directive in this area. I also believe that we need to discuss the topic of the Hungarian press law on a fully informed basis, given that we can be misled by biased interests and political disputes.