A new strategy for media literacy and digital learning

Amendments tabled for the plenary sitting on this text, in their own numbering series. This is a different set from the committee amendments tracked elsewhere on AmendEU, and is not counted in any of the site’s amendment totals.

1. Amendment 1Motion for a resolution · Paragraph 3
   Current text

   3. Stresses that media literacy and digital learning should be reflected within broader EU initiatives aimed at safeguarding democratic processes, including in the context of the EU Democracy Shield;

   Amendment

   3. stresses that media literacy and digital learning must not be exploited within the framework of the ‘Democracy Shield’, which risks promoting a uniform and ideologically biased view of information; recalls that democracy is based on free debate and not on institutional determinations of what constitutes legitimate information; expresses concern that such measures may lead to the marginalisation of opinions, including those critical of EU policies;

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2. Amendment 2Motion for a resolution · Paragraph 6
   Current text

   6. Stresses the key roles that media literacy and digital learning play in empowering users to navigate the digital environment safely, including in combating cyberbullying and other forms of online harm; highlights, in particular, that providing media literacy and digital learning skills throughout the entire education path and within lifelong learning activities is crucial for developing and strengthening critical thinking, self-awareness and responsible behaviour online;

   Amendment

   6. Stresses the key roles that media literacy and digital learning play in empowering users to navigate the digital environment; stresses that the acquisition of these skills is first and foremost the responsibility of parents and legal guardians as provided for in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, followed by the school system – the organisation of which falls to the Member States – and not a lifelong process supervised by EU institutions; warns against an overly broad interpretation of this oversight, which would make the EU an omnipresent actor in the education of citizens far beyond the scope of its powers; recalls that subsidiarity is not an optional principle and that educa…

   Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
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3. Amendment 3Motion for a resolution · Paragraph 6 a (new)
   Amendment

   6a. Further emphasises that the EU cannot present itself as the guarantor of democracy in the Member States while measures such as the withholding of EU funds, non-transparent negotiation processes, the application of unequal standards between Member States or the communication surrounding such measures may influence domestic political debates and electoral processes; stresses that all actions undertaken by EU institutions should fully respect the principles of transparency, equal treatment, institutional neutrality and democratic self-determination of Member States;

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4. Amendment 4Motion for a resolution · Paragraph 10
   Current text

   10. Highlights the importance of strengthening cooperation between public and private stakeholders to promote media literacy across the EU; emphasises the important role of civil society organisations, community initiatives, volunteers and cultural actors in building trust, thereby fostering dialogue in public debate;

   Amendment

   10. Highlights that any cooperation between public and private stakeholders, or civil society organisations involved in media literacy must comply with the highest standards of financial transparency and political neutrality and must not promote, support or engage in political campaigning; considers that where a systemic risk of conflicts of interest is identified, funding should be suspended and reviewed, applying the same standards and criteria to all organisations without discrimination; recalls that media literacy education can only take place within the framework of freedom of expression protected from all political control and the risk that media literacy programmes financed by the Com…

   Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
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5. Amendment 5Motion for a resolution · Paragraph 33 a (new)
   Amendment

   33a. Recalls that education falls within the competence of the Member States in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity enshrined in Article 165 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and that the Commission has no legislative authority over school curriculums; recalls that the role of schools is to impart knowledge, whereas fostering critical thinking is first and foremost the responsibility of parents; therefore opposes any attempt by the EU to impose educational content through recommendations, funding, or legislation; emphasises the risk that media literacy programmes funded by the Commission, under the guise of combating disinformation, could be used to standardis…

   Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
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6. Amendment 6Motion for a resolution · Paragraph 36
   Current text

   36. Encourages the Member States to consult and cooperate with educators, researchers, academia, civil society organisations, parents, caregivers and youth organisations when developing and evaluating media literacy and digital learning initiatives, to ensure that they respond to the needs of learners and educators;

   Amendment

   36. Encourages the Member States to consult and cooperate with parents, educators and researchers in the development of their media education policies, without such cooperation being supervised, guided or evaluated by the European Commission; recalls that civil society organisations funded by the EU cannot be considered neutral and independent actors in this process;

   official amendment document ↗