Estelle Massé

As negotiations on the Telecoms Single Market (TSM) near conclusion in the EU, the Parliament may break its promise to deliver Net Neutrality.

On May 5, the French “National Assembly” will vote on a dangerous proposal to reform intelligence services. This week Access joined a coalition led by our friends at La Quadrature du Net along with 18 other organisations to oppose the bill and take action. It’s a “French Patriot Act” in disguise.

On 26 February 2015, MEP Timothy Kirkhope presented to the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties (LIBE) a revised draft of the European Union Passenger Name Records proposal.

Courts are throwing out data retention laws, but new proposals are being introduced and fundamental rights remain in peril.

This week decision makers in Brussels are negotiating over a crucial text to preserve the open internet.

One thing has remained clear — European internet users strongly support Net Neutrality and want the EU to pass the strongest rules possible. As discussions of the Telecoms Single Market text were taking place, the EU Commissioner for Digital Economy & Society, Günther Oettinger, absurdly compared the internet advocacy community and the Pirate Party to the Taliban

Today, 28 member states of the European Union presented a joint proposal on the Telecoms Single Market — legislation that will determine whether Net Neutrality will become a reality throughout Europe. The proposal officially triggered the start of joint negotiations between the EU Commission, the EU Parliament, and the Council of the EU to produce a final text.

Today, leading digital rights organizations — including Access, EDRi, Privacy International, and Panoptykon — published new leaked documents showing that European Union member states are working to undermine the right to personal data protection for citizens.

On February 11th, the European Parliament (EP) has adopted a resolution in which it commits to work toward finalising, by the end of the year, a directive on EU Passenger Name Records (PNR). Despite serious privacy concerns raised by civil society organisations, discourses privileging the need to reinforce EU anti-terrorism measures seem to have prevailed over European citizens’ fundamental rights.

As the 8th round of the TTIP negotiations just ended in Brussels, Access reflects on the state of play of this major transatlantic trade deal.