European Russian Forum
08/12/2008
The Forum took place in the building of the Eurooean
Parliament with the participation of high ranking Russian and EU
representatives and aimed to examine the present situation and the potential of
future cooperation between the two realities. It was structured into two plenary
sessions and two modular sections.
While all the reporters considered desirable good and
fruitful relations between the EU and the Russian Federation, not all the political
analysis were smooth, often affected by the position of EU and single European
countries on the events in South Ossetia.
The EJ President Paolo Magagnotti was invited to make
a presentation on the press relation between the two parts.
His position was presented in several points as
follows:
- Historical and present
reasons and the urgent need of peace keeping and of promoting
socio-economic development for the future good relationships between the
- Such good relationships are
required not only for interests of the parties involved, but also because
they are a major contribution to stability and democracy worldwide.
- It goes without saying that
we need to be aware of the different historical developments which have
taken place in the last century in the former
- Different histories,
different political systems, even if underlain by common values, mainly
cultural ones, have linked and still unite today’s Russian Federation and
the EU’s member states.
- As an Italian, I take into
account our presence of art in San Petersburg and in other Russian
realities.
- Talking about information I
can see the pressing necessity of considering first of all the need of
guaranteeing the basic value that must be a common denominator for every
body: human rights and democracy.
- Democracy also means the
citizens’ participation. A very old assumption states that information is
the precondition of participation. Therefore, the citizens must be
informed.
- To perform a useful and good
information we need, among others, two basic preconditions:
-freedom
of press, which is also related to the observance of human rights;
-access
to the information sources.
- Where does the responsibility
of guaranteeing freedom of the press lie?
·
First of all in the public
institutions, which must promote the common good.
·
In this respect, we need
appropriate laws and governments applying them in a correct and
sound manner.
·
If a journalist can’t work in a
context of freedom of the press, he/she can’t be of good
service for the democratic development of a country.
Journalists must have the right to criticize political
powers, and political powers must have the right to criticize what journalists
write or broadcast.
·
Yet journalists, whatever their
opinion is, and whatever they write, must be respected and
have the right to live in peace.
·
Of course journalist must observe
an ethic code and not use their power – because journalism is powerful too – in order to destroy or to
promote Institutions and person as they like.
·
At the moment there is a quite diffuse
conviction among journalists in the EU’s area – and
not
always without reasons - that in the Russian Federation Public Institutions
don’t guarantee, as they should, freedom of press.
·
Even in the European Union we have
countries whose governments are more pro
·
The Energy dependency from the
·
Anyway, I think that on this
occasion we should be constructive.
·
It is my opinion and desire and
the opinion and desire of my association – that we need to work in order to
create conditions so that both the media, and the journalists can provide a
positive contribution for enhancing fruitful relations between the
·
At the moment there is, I think, a
kind of climate of mutual mistrust, if not suspicion, between the two parts.
·
Mistrust and suspicion are two
products that poison the relationships and prevent mutual understanding and
friendly attitude.
·
In such a situation it is first of
all necessary to throw down the barrier of mistrust and to create a climate of
mutual confidence and understanding.
·
Between the Russian and EU’s journalists
we need to better know und understand one another.
·
The Forum of the Journalists of
the
·
It is for this reason that I
propose here the establishment of a permanent Forum of Russian and EU’s
Journalists, in the forma to be jointly decided.
·
The EJ is available to give its
contribution to concretize the idea.