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‘Proud To Push For Rights!’: Maltese MEP Josianne Cutajar On Urging Stronger Digital Rights In Europe

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Maltese MEP Josianne Cutajar, alongside other MEPs, has signed a letter calling for a European Charter for Digital Rights addressed to the Presidents of the European Commission, the Council, and the European Parliament.

“I am proud to push for rights which ensure that the most vulnerable – and society in general – are able to access more services, information, communication, and better work via the internet,” she said.

“With the pressure that my colleagues and I are exerting, we need to ensure more concrete work by the European institutions for strengthened digital rights in the coming time.”

Together they stated that although much progress has been made on digitalisation, a new social pact is now needed to regulate a fair and inclusive society, in the digital context.

Cutajar has been pushing the entry into force of internet access as a human right since last year. She urged the European Commission to “consider initiatives and steps in this direction.”

This point was stressed throughout her ongoing tenure, particularly in the context of the Conference on the future of Europe, where as the Maltese Representative for the Socialist Group, she forms part of the Digital Working Group.

She stressed that in an ever-changing world, there is a need to update laws and even human rights from time to time.

Late last month, MEPs agreed to a draft set of measures set to tackle illegal content online, to regulate platforms, and improve content moderation. This, by way of the Digital Services Act (DSA).

MEPs had been pressing for improved legislation since late 2021, by way of three different DSA resolutions and a Digital Markets Act (DMA).

If ease of access has thought us anything, it’s that the black market, hate speech, and dangerous content are all products of platforms being manipulated and misused to produce illegal services.

Following the agreement, Parliament can now enter into negotiations with the European Council, which is currently under the French presidency, to put a tighter hold on digital services

This article is part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. This article reflects only the author’s view. The European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.

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