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.

This article is also available in:
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

This article is also available in:
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.

This article is also available in:
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.

This article is also available in:
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.

This article is also available in:
Deutsch: Europäisches Parlament fordert Respekt für die Menschenrechte im Int...

This article is also available in:
Macedonian: [Европскиот парламент бара да се...