Source: European Parliament
B10‑0013/2024
Motion for a European Parliament resolution on the attempt by the German Federal Ministry of the Interior to impose a media ban
The European Parliament,
– having regard to Rule 149 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,
A. Whereas on 16 July 2024 the German Federal Ministry of the Interior issued a ban on the media associations COMPACT-Magazin GmbH and CONSPECT FILM GmbH;
B. having regard to the fact that on 14 August 2024 the Federal Administrative Court suspended in part the immediate enforcement of the ban on ‘Compact’ on the grounds that a ban was disproportionate and that less severe means should have been used to guarantee freedom of expression and freedom of the press;
1. Notes with concern that, in banning ‘Compact’, the German Federal Ministry of the Interior attempted to restrict the freedom to express political dissent;
2. Warns against governments controlling and restricting the flow of information through legal trickery, for example by imposing media bans by the backdoor in the guise of bans on associations;
3. Calls for a fundamental debate to be carried out on the threats to freedom of expression and freedom of the press and the arbitrary decisions affecting them, as well as on the successful and unsuccessful media bans in Germany and other Member States of the European Union, in order to raise awareness of the dangers of increasing censorship.