Speaking at the opening of the first European Anti-SLAPP Conference on 20 October, Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić said that the use of legal threats and lawsuits to limit freedom of expression, usually referred to a strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), mostly targeting journalists, is a problem in Council of Europe member states that must be addressed.
“SLAPPs are intended to intimidate, to limit public debate, to prevent the free flow of information and to encourage self-censorship. Their chilling effect spreads not only from lawsuits that have been filed, but from the very prospect that this may happen. Existing legal standards need to be strengthened and new ones developed and implemented”, she said. The Secretary General referred to a Council of Europe draft recommendation on SLAPPs currently under preparation and welcomed the existing cooperation between the Council of Europe and the European Union in developing standards in this field.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, European Commission Vice President for Values and Transparency Věra Jourová and Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović also spoke at the opening. The event is organised by the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom and the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe. The conference aims to examine initiatives to tackle SLAPPs at European and national levels.
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