JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Venezuela
10.2.2010
replacing the motions by the following groups:
S&D (B7‑0095/2010)
Verts/ALE (B7‑0096/2010)
GUE/NGL (B7‑0097/2010)
Véronique De Keyser, María Muñiz De Urquiza on behalf of the S&D Group
Raül Romeva i Rueda on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
Willy Meyer, Sabine Lösing, Jacky Hénin, Patrick Le Hyaric, Marie-Christine Vergiat on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
European Parliament resolution on Venezuela
The European Parliament,
– having regard to Rule 122(5) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas on 22 December 2009 the Technical Regulation, laying down requirements with which all audiovisual service providers in Venezuela must comply, entered into force,
B. whereas this regulation complements in technical terms the Law of 2005 on social responsibility in radio and television, which concerns the protection of the rights of users, in particular of minors, broadcasts of the President’s speeches and so on,
C. whereas, on the basis of notifications they have received, the relevant Venezuelan authorities ruled that four of the 24 national channels were not complying with the Regulation, with the result that they were temporarily excluded from the programme schedule, pending their ability to show that their programming complies with the criteria laid down in the Regulation,
D. whereas the national service providers must register with the National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel), which is the agency responsible for implementing the Law of social responsibility in radio and television in Venezuela; whereas the management of RCTV has now lodged the required documents with Conatel,
E. whereas RCTV is a national audiovisual services provider as defined by the Technical Regulation on National Audiovisual Production Services of Venezuela, since RCTV does not include in its weekly programming more than 70 % of programmes of a non-national nature,
F. whereas the Venezuelan authorities, exercising the administrative and constitutional capacities vested in them by the Venezuelan Constitution and the law of Venezuela, must guarantee that the regulations and laws governing all mass media are respected, as happens in the EU Member States,
G. whereas on 25 January opposition groups and groups supporting the government clashed at Mérida (Venezuela) in demonstrations in which two young people – one from each side – were killed,
H. whereas the Public Prosecutor of the Republic has appointed a committee of inquiry into these events,
I. whereas the freedom and independence of the media in relation to political and economic powers are crucial for the proper functioning of a pluralist democracy respecting the rights of minorities, including political oppositions, to promote their opinions freely and openly, to permit free and fair elections,
J. whereas the media have a social responsibility not to appeal for violence and unlawfulness, and must respect the rule of law, and therefore legislation,
1. Reaffirms its full support for freedom of expression in all countries as an integral part of human rights;
2. Welcomes the fact that RCTV has finally responded to the Venezuelan authorities and fulfilled the legal conditions required by them to be able to restore its broadcasts by cable;
3. Calls on the Venezuelan authorities to safeguard, through its legislation, non-concentration of the media and the pluralism of information, in the name of impartiality;
4. Calls on the Venezuelan media seeking a change in the legislation affecting them to put their case by legal means and to respect the rule of law, and thus the present law, particularly the law on telecommunications;
5. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the Parliament of Mercosur and the Eurolat Assembly.