Cercare

After Hungary, Poland and Spain, Greece is the latest Member State accused of spying on journalists and opposition politicians. While the opposition is seeking transparency and is steadily increasing the pressure, the Greek government has acknowledged select surveillance operations but insists on their legality and categorically denies purchasing or using the commercial Predator spyware. This EPRS paper synthesises the fast-paced and highly politicised developments at national level and contextualises ...

In 2021, 95 % of young Europeans aged 16‑29 years reported using the internet every day. However, the share of young people with basic or above basic digital skills ranges from 93 % in Finland, 92 % in Malta, 89 % in Croatia and 87 % in Greece and the Netherlands, to just 49 % in Bulgaria and 46 % in Romania, with the EU average standing at 71 %. Some 76 % of all young people reported that they had performed basic computer tasks such as copying or moving a file or a folder, while slightly lower shares ...

The proliferation of new and emerging technologies over the past two decades has significantly expanded states’ toolkit for repression and social control, deepening human rights problems. While these technologies still have the potential to positively enhance democratic values and human rights, they are now also actively deployed and shaped by many repressive regimes to their own strategic advantage. Globally and regionally, efforts have been made to tackle the challenges that digital technologies ...

Il potere e il ruolo delle piattaforme dei social media nella moderazione dei contenuti pubblicati online dai rispettivi utenti sono oggetto di un'attenzione sempre maggiore. I responsabili politici e, più in generale, la popolazione si chiedono se le piattaforme dei media sociali debbano essere soggette a delle misure e a un controllo pubblico più rigorosi. Nel corso della tornata di febbraio, il Consiglio e la Commissione dovrebbero formulare dichiarazioni relative al controllo democratico delle ...

The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.

Online platforms have created content moderation systems, particularly in relation to tackling illegal content online. This study reviews and assesses the EU regulatory framework on content moderation and the practices by key online platforms. On that basis, it makes recommendations to improve the EU legal framework within the context of the forthcoming Digital Services Act.

This study provides an overview of the European Union’s contribution to promoting and protecting human rights in Belarus since 2016. This analysis presents the main human rights trends in Belarus, examining legislation, policy commitments and violations of human rights. While the Belarusian government has made nominal concessions towards the EU, no systemic progress in terms of human rights has been made in the post-2016 period. The study also describes and assesses the EU’s human rights promotion ...

La direttiva 2011/93/UE relativa alla lotta contro l'abuso e lo sfruttamento sessuale dei minori e la pornografia minorile, adottata nel dicembre del 2011, stabilisce norme minime relative alla definizione di siffatti reati e alle sanzioni in materia, e contiene disposizioni tese a rafforzare la prevenzione del fenomeno e la protezione delle vittime. Durante la tornata di dicembre, il Parlamento dovrà discutere una relazione sulla messa in atto della direttiva.

The impact of the online spread of mis- and disinformation – including false news posing as factual stories – became increasingly visible in the context of the crisis in Ukraine, and gained notoriety as a global challenge during the 2016 United States presidential election campaign. Ahead of the European elections in 2019, the EU is now stepping up its efforts to tackle 'fake news'. This is a further updated version of an 'at a glance' note published in April 2017: PE 599.384.

Media freedom, a core EU value and a cornerstone of democracy, is a priority reform area in the Western Balkans' EU accession agenda. Yet, despite a certain level of preparedness and a broadly developed legal framework, aspirant countries keep facing systemic shortcomings that require long-term sustained efforts. These efforts have stalled in recent years, resulting in a 'no progress' situation.