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Deutsch: ENDitorial: Niederländische NGO Bits of Freedom nimmt Aktivitäten wi...

When EDRi was established, its founders recognized that co-operation between European digital rights organisations was essential for the effective protection of digital civil rights in the years ahead. EDRi would in the subsequent years indeed come to serve as an important framework for this co-operation.

One of these founders was a Dutch digital rights organization called Bits of Freedom (BoF).

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Deutsch: Der Datenschutzbeauftragte äußert sich zum Stockholmprogramm

After the release of the Stockholm Programme considered by civil rights groups as enhancing the "dangerously authoritarian" European surveillance and security system, the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) published on 13 July 2009 his opinion on the new system.

The EDPS demands for a stronger focus on fundamental rights in the Stockholm programme which is due to be adopted by the European Council in December 2009.

The recent elections have brought more seats for parties supporting digital rights in the European Parliament (EP), such as the Greens, UK Independence Party or the Liberal Democrats. The Swedish Pirate Party has succeeded in getting a seat as well.

The Pirate Party has succeeded in obtaining 7% of the votes in Sweden, thus winning one representative in the EP. In case the Lisbon Treaty is adopted, it might even get one more seat. The success of the party is due to two recent events: the EU's intellectual property enforcement directive which asks that ISPs turn over traffic data to copyright holders who are trying to track down filesharers and which was brought into force by the Swedish Government in April 2009 and the result of the Pirate Bay trial.

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Deutsch: EP verabschiedet die Verlängerung der Urheberrechtsfrist in der erste...

Although largely opposed by some EU Member States in the Council, criticized by the consumers' organizations and strongly opposed by 4 out of the 7 main political groups (ALDE, GREENS/EFA, NGL, IND/ DEM) in the European Parliament (EP), the directive on performers copyright term extension was passed by the MEPs in the first reading on 23 April 2009.

Besides the four groups, there were other national delegations and key MEPs who joined the fight to reject the directive, but the final vote was 317 in favour, 178 against, 37 abstentions.

The report by Irish MEP Brian Crowley proposed the extensio

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Deutsch: EP stimmt wieder einmal gegen das 3 Treffer-System

Today, 6 May 2009, in the second reading of the Telecom Package, the European Parliament (EP) voted again for the initial amendment 138, with an overwhelming majority of 407 votes for and just 57 against the proposal. However, on this same occasion, the EP rejected the amendments that would make "network neutrality" principles mandatory.

Although initially MEP Catherine Trautmann's report included the original amendment 138/46 as adopted in the first reading by the European Parliament, after the opaque negotiations with the EU Council from the past 2 weeks this amendment had been changed in a weaker version.

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Deutsch: Einstand zum ersten Europäischen Tag der Bürgerrechte
Macedonian: Организиран првиот Европски ден на...

Earlier this month, over a hundred politicians, journalists and campaigners attended the launch of the first European Civil Liberties Day - 15 April at the European Parliament.

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Deutsch: ITRE-Komitee des Europäischen Parlaments stimmt gegen die 3 Treffer

The ITRE - Industry, Research and Energy Committee of the European Parliament (EP) has voted in the evening of 21 April 2009 on the Trautmann report and has reintroduced amendment 138.

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Deutsch: Europäisches Parlament fordert Respekt für die Menschenrechte im Int...

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Macedonian: [Европскиот парламент бара да се...