Thursday, 20 June 2013, Brussels
ILIJA DIMOVSKI AT THE MEETING OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND AT THE SECOND SPEAK UP! CONFERENCE ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND MEDIA IN THE WESTERN BALKANS AND TURKEY
On 19 June the Subcommittee on Human Rights held a meeting in the European Parliament in Brussels. The participants exchanged views and opinion on the legal aspects of the freedom of expression and the media in the Western Balkans and Turkey. The meeting was chaired by the Member of the European Parliament Ms. Barbara Lochbihler.
Mr. Ilija Dimovski represented the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia. In his address he pointed out the achievements of the country in the field of decriminalization of libel and defamation with the adoption of the Law on Civil Liability and the amendments to the Criminal Code. He said that the number of suspended lawsuits against journalists was confirmation for the implementation of the new legislation and expresses his expectations that, after consultations with the relevant international organizations and the stakeholders in the country, the draft Law on the Media and Audiovisual Media Services that is subject to extensive public debate will guarantee additionally the freedom the expression and the status of the media in the country.
Welcoming the efforts of the country, the European Parliament Rapporteur on the Republic of Macedonia Mr. Richard Howitt said that the topic was equally important for all the countries in the region and that the dialogue among the government and the media was a precondition for successful preparation and implementation of the regulations.
Besides parliamentarians from the national parliaments and the members of the Subcommittee, the Rapporteur on media protection of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Mr. Gvozden Flego, the Director General of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) Ms. Ingrid Deltenre, and the Executive Director of the Association of Journalist of Macedonia Mr. Dragan Sekulovski also attended the meeting.
After the event, Mr. Dimovski had informal meetings with Mr. Howitt and with the Commissioner responsible for enlargement and European neighbourhood policy Mr. Štefan Füle. They discussed the current developments in the Republic of Macedonia.
Today Mr. Dimovski participated in second Speak Up! Conference on freedom of expression and media in the Western Balkans and Turkey, organized by the European Commission.
Opening the Conference, Mr. Štefan Füle emphasized that freedom of expression in was a fundamental value and an indicator of the situation with democracy in the countries, adding that the standards for freedom of the media and expression should be the same for the EU member countries and the candidate countries.
The Member of the European Parliament Eduard Kukan pointed out the role of parliaments in the oversight of the implementation of the laws on the media. The conference will adopt conclusions on the future implementation of the freedom of expression in the countries in the region.