Europe and the WikiLeaks affair

14/12/10 19:51 CET

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Freedom of information exchange and cybersecurity have been under intense discussion in the European Parliament.

Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso was pressured to describe his role in the case of leaked diplomatic cables and the unrelated legal action against the WikiLeaks website founder Julian Assange.

See our special page on WikiLeaks

“Regarding accusations to a specific person, I am not a tribunal and the Commission is not supposed to make comments on specific accusations against specific individuals because the Commission is not and is not to be a tribunal and has no presumptions of culpability of a specific individual.”

As to recent revelations, Barroso said it was up to the relevant countries “to carry out clarifications.”

He underscored that freedom of expression is a fundamental right but also defended rules on data protection.

More about: EU Parliament, José Manuel Barroso, WikiLeaks

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