"One question to..."

In the section "One question to...", EESC members are invited to explain why a proposed opinion is important for European legislation from the point of view of organised civil society. This time we spoke to Tomasz Wróblewski, the author of the opinion on Strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs).

EESC: You are the rapporteur for opinion SOC/734 "Initiative against abusive litigation targeting journalists and rights defenders". The unusual abbreviation SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) refers to strategic lawsuits against public participation in democratic debate. SLAPPs are detrimental to freedom of expression, in particular to investigative journalists, as they lead to judicial intimidation and harassment. To counter this, the European Commission is proposing an EU directive on strategic lawsuits against public participation. What is the EESC's assessment of this proposal and what would ensure its effectiveness?