52. Notes that the protection of human rights defenders is a key priority of EU human rights policy; emphasises that reprisals and intimidation against human rights defenders (HRDs) who cooperate with the UN human rights mechanisms threatens to undermine this system; appreciates, therefore, the practical and financial support allocated to the urgent protection of and support for HRDs under the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR);

to promote the interests of European citizens i) by ensuring that all citizens have access to a universal service; ii) by ensuring a high level of protection for consumers in their dealings with suppliers, particularly by ensuring the availability of simple and inexpensive dispute resolution procedures; iii) by helping to ensure a high level of protection of personal data and privacy; iv) by encouraging the provision of clear information, particularly by requiring transparency of tariffs and of the conditions of using publicly available electronic communications services; v) by addressing the needs of specific social groups, in parti ...[+++]cular disabled users; and vi) by ensuring the security of communications networks.

With regard to Amendments Nos 2, 9 and 13, which aim to ensure that the cost of legal proceedings should be covered by compulsory insurance, we must bear in mind that this would overlap with the voluntary insurance regulated in the directive on legal expenses insurance (87/344/EEC).

Furthermore, this insurance cover would overlap with the voluntary insurance regulated in Directive 87/344/EEC on legal expenses insurance.

to promote the interests of European citizens i) by ensuring that all citizens have access to a universal service; ii) by ensuring a high level of protection for consumers in their dealings with suppliers, particularly by ensuring the availability of simple and inexpensive dispute resolution procedures; iii) by helping to ensure a high level of protection of personal data and privacy; iv) by encouraging the provision of clear information, particularly by requiring transparency of tariffs and of the conditions of using publicly available electronic communications services; v) by addressing the needs of specific social groups, in parti ...[+++]cular disabled users; and vi) by ensuring the security of communications networks.

(22) Information society services should be supervised at the source of the activity, in order to ensure an effective protection of public interest objectives; to that end, it is necessary to ensure that the competent authority provides such protection not only for the citizens of its own country but for all Community citizens; in order to improve mutual trust between Member States, it is essential to state clearly this responsibility on the part of the Member State where the services originate; moreover, in order to effectively gu ...[+++]arantee freedom to provide services and legal certainty for suppliers and recipients of services, such information society services should in principle be subject to the law of the Member State in which the service provider is established.