Fwd: Release from Marco Cappato MEP on European Parliament view on general surveillance of electronic communications

[Caspar Bowden]

This is a Press Release on a European Parliament amendment condemning
moves towards general surveillance of electronic communications.
Forwarding to the RIPlist and ukcrypto for its obvious relevance to
recent Council of Ministers pressure on Commission to abolish current
prohibition on indiscriminate long-term retention of traffic data.

The excerpt is noteworthy : "the interception and storage of data
concerning traffic and location in electronic communications are
entirely exceptional measures which must be based on a specific law
which is comprehensible to the general public, be authorised by the
judicial or competent authorities, be of limited duration, and be
proportionate and necessary within a democratic society; points out
that, under the European Convention on Human Rights and pursuant to
rulings issued by the Court of Human Rights, any form of wide-scale
general or exploratory electronic surveillance is prohibited".=20

The URL given doesn't work, but this does
http://www.europarl.eu.int/meetdocs/committees/libe/20010710/439506en.pd
f
--
Caspar Bowden               Tel: +44(0)20 7354 2333
Director, Foundation for Information Policy Research
RIP Information Centre at:    www.fipr.org/rip#media=20
=20
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Marco Cappato [mailto:mcappato@europarl.eu.int]
>Sent: 06 July 2001 17:20
>To: Marco Cappato
>Subject: press release/communiqu=E9 de presse
>
>
>Press release by Marco Cappato (MEP and EP draftsman on privacy in=20
>electronic communications) on the efforts by EU Member States to get=20
>wider powers in intruding in private life of citizens

PRIVACY/EP: EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT POSITION AGAINST GENERAL SURVEILLANCE IS
A GOOD NEWS IN THE VIEW OF THE VOTE ON THE PRIVACY DIRECTIVE THAT WILL
TAKE PLACE NEXT WEDNESDAY IN BRUSSELS (Cappato report) =20
Brussels, 6 July 2001

Declaration by Marco Cappato, Radical MEP of the Bonino List, EP
draftsman on the draft directive on privacy in electronic
communications:

	"The adoption of a radical amendment that I had tabled on behalf
of the Radicals/ Lista Bonino MEPs on the report on Human Rights in the
European Union, the EP has assumed yesterday a clear political position
on the issue of intrusions by States' repressive authorities in
citizens' private life: "the interception and storage of data concerning
traffic and location in electronic communications are entirely
exceptional measures which must be based on a specific law which is
comprehensible to the general public, be authorised by the judicial or
competent authorities, be of limited duration, and be proportionate and
necessary within a democratic society; points out that, under the
European Convention on Human Rights and pursuant to rulings issued by
the Court of Human Rights, any form of wide-scale general or exploratory
electronic surveillance is prohibited".=20

	The political orientation of the EP is extremely important in
the view of the legislative decisions that are to be taken on the
revision of the directive on privacy in electronic communications, that
opposes the European Commission to the Council of Ministers. As
draftsman of the EP on this directive, I express the hope that the EP
will support my report when it will be voted in the committee for
citizens' freedoms and rights next Wednesday in Brussels: The EP has to
oppose to any effort by EU Member States to get wider powers in
intruding in private life of citizens, derogating to minimal human
rights and fundamental freedoms that are at the base of democracy and
Rule of Law".

For further information:
Marco Cappato's office: EP-Brussels, Tel 0032 2 2847496; Email:
mcappato@europarl.eu.int Cappato draft report:
http://www.europarl.ep.ec/meetdocs/committees/libe/20010710/439506en.pdf
------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------