The European Commission opposed on Monday a flat refusal to French president Nicolas Sarkozy's request for deleting amendment 138 of the Telecoms Package. It is yet another slap in the face for the proponents of the graduated response.

A letter from Nicolas Sarkozy to the president of European Commission, Jose-Manuel Barroso, has been published today on the website ecrans.fr.[1] Sarkozy begs Barroso to reject Bono/Cohn-Bendit/Roithova amendment (amendment 138) adopted by 88% of the Members of European Parliament (MEPs) during the first reading of the Telecoms package.[2]

La Quadrature du Net (Squaring the Net) welcomes the adoption, in the first reading, of several amendments correcting major problems in the Telecoms Package, as well as the rejection of the most dangerous amendments.

Members of the European Parliament have shown today their commitment to privacy, the protection of personal data, and principles of proportionality and separation of powers.

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The crucial first reading vote on the "Telecoms Package" will take place in the European Parliament, in Brussels, on Wednesday, Sept. 24th. Even if some noticeable progress was made, some dispositions of these internet regulation directives still pose an important threat to civil liberties and fundamental rights.

La Quadrature du Net calls for its supporters to mobilize on the amendment 138 tabled on the Trautmann report to guarantee that "graduated response" could not emerge in Europe. Read more.

La Quadrature du Net / Squaring the Net took notice of compromise amendements [1] to the "Telecoms Package" [2] filed jointly by the 3 main political groups (PPE-DE, PSE and ALDE) in the name of the European Parliament commission in charge of the consumer protection.

Brussels, September 3rd, 2008. MEPs, representatives of the European Commission and Council have discussed yesterday in plenary session, in Brussels, the reform of European law on electronic communications (Telecoms Package).

Planned for September, 2nd, the vote of the Telecom Package was postponed by the Conference of Presidents (which is made up of the chairs of the political groups and the President of the European Parliament). The debate will take place in Strasbourg, September, 2nd but the vote would be planned during the session which will start September, 22nd. For several MEPs, this is an unusual situation. More infos soon.

On Monday, July 7th, the IMCO and ITRE committees of the European Parliament passed the review of European telecommunications law known as "Telecoms Package". All of the amendments damaging to the Internet, that were condemmed by la Quadrature du Net and numerous organizations, have been voted through.

Brussels, July 1st, 2008 - updated : July 2nd, 2008

One week before a key vote in the reform of European law on electronic communications ("Telecoms Package"), La Quadrature du Net (Squaring the Net) denounces a series of amendments aimed at closing the open architecture of the Internet for more control and surveillance of users.

In a press statement, Guy Bono, member of the Culture Committe of the European Parliament 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.

He said : “After the resolution of the European Parliament of 10 April condemning the principle of the graduated response [ndt : three strikes approach], we are exposed to attacks from all sides from major record companies who try forcibly to get their freedom-killing proposals to be accepted, even if they are lacking a sounds economic basis and ignoring the development of our digital world.»(..)

«Guy Bono is particulary upset about an amendment by the draftsman of the opinion M. Mavromatis (EPP, GRE), who intends to legalise the “spywares” of major record companies.»

Paris, April 28, 2008 The French organization "La Quadrature du Net" (Squaring the Net) is pleased to announce the support of 15 French, European and international organizations.These organizations join La Quadrature du Net in their fight to prevent a possible law, that would ban internet access for presumed copyright-infringing users.

They fear that france could use its upcoming presidency of the European Council to push europe towards such a directive and therefore back into a digital medieval age.