"...Guy Bono is indignant about the freedom-killing amendments that have been submitted in the framework of the “Telecom Package”, that is currently being discussed in the European Parliament.

Amendments to the European Telecommunications directive being rushed through the European Parliament propose a "Soviet internet" where software publishers and internet service providers watch traffic and data for Hollywood. Software and services that run on the internet would have to ask for permission of the regulators.

Our vision is for the European Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) industry become the most vibrant in the world - and the European Parliament shared this vision, when it made the necessary amendments to the directive on computer-implemented inventions during its first reading on 24 September 2003.

"Paris, September 16th 2009 - We Must Protect Net Neutrality1 in Europe! Organizations from all around Europe share their concern of seeing Net Neutrality being sacrificed during the conciliation procedure of the directives of the EU Telecoms Package.

"The Committee on Culture and Education of the European Parliament is preparing to vote on a draft report basis about cultural industries in the context of the Lisbon strategy. Some amendments taking again the main guidelines of the Olivennes mission have just been registered. As a matter of fact, we have sent the following message to MEPs of the culture committee..."

"MEPs, representatives of the European Commission and Council have discussed yesterday in plenary session, in Brussels, the reform of European law on electronic communications [...] The EDPS, as an independent EU authority in charge of personal data protection, considers that these amendments are an open invitation to a 'mass surveillance of Internet users' and to "lay the foundations" of the grad

The European Parliament's Free Software User Group is 'very important'. Its work helps strengthen democracy in the European Parliament. "And if you help it here, you're probably also helping it in Greece, Finland, the United Kingdom and elsewhere."

At a time when the EU Commission investigates the anti-competitive behaviour of a market-dominant player, the European Parliament (EP) still imposes that same specific software choice on both the European Union's citizens and its own MEPs.

By a remarkable vote of 633 to 13, the Parliament rebuked European negotiators who have been drafting the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) in a series of confidential meetings around the globe. No version of the document has been disclosed by the participants, which include the United States, the European Commission, Japan, and Canada.