28. Notes that legal provisions on freedom of expression are in place; is concerned, however, about political and financial pressure on the media and cases of threats and intimidation against journalists and editors, including during the pre-electoral period; condemns attempts to undermine the existing rules, which could have damaging implications for freedom of expression and media freedom, including on line; stresses that events such as the police raid on the offices of Klix.ba in Sarajevo and the recent adoption by the RSNA of t ...[+++]he controversial Law on Public Order and Peace raise serious concerns about freedom of expression and freedom of the media, including in social media; stresses that the ability of the media to operate without fear is essential to a healthy democracy; urges that freedom of expression and media freedom be fully respected and that journalists be allowed to obtain information on matters of public interest; stresses that stable and sustainable financing, editorial independence, broadcasting in all official languages and pluralism are essential to public-service media; calls on the authorities to close all legislative loopholes which systematically hamper the full transparency of media ownership and to prepare a regulation to ensure that no undue political influence is exerted; urges the competent authorities to safeguard the political, institutional and financial independence of public-service broadcasters and to harmonise entity laws on public broadcasting with state-level legislation; urges the merit-based appointment of the Director of the BiH Communication Regulatory Agency Council;

It is clear from Article 221 TFEU and from Article 5 of Decision 2010/427 establishing the organisation and functioning of the European External Action Service (EEAS) that the delegations provide the Union’s diplomatic representation in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 18 April 1961 and are placed under the authority of the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, so that a decision to recall a head of delegation to headquarters may not, as such, fall to the Executive Director of the European Ext ...[+++]ernal Action Service and Director of Human Resources.

87. Recognises attempts by the Council and the Commission to organise a second round of the European Union-Uzbekistan dialogue on human rights in May 2008 and commends the Commission on its efforts to organise a civil society seminar on media expression in the margins of the dialogue, possibly in Tashkent; points out once again that the holding of a dialogue on human rights and experts" meetings on the 2005 Andijan massacre do not in themselves constitute progress and cannot be used as a reason for the lifting of sanctions; notes that the absence of an independent international inquiry into the Andijan massacre and the lack of any impr ...[+++]ovement in the human rights situation in Uzbekistan – these being the conditions laid down by the European Union for the lifting of sanctions – have logically led to the sanctions against Uzbekistan being extended; welcomes the fact that the conclusions of the General Affairs and External Relations Council of 15-16 October 2007 have introduced specific conditions which have to be met within a period of six months in order for the visa restriction suspension to be maintained; invites the Council and the Commission to carry out a serious assessment of the impact of the decision to suspend for six months some of the visa restrictions that form part of the European Union sanctions against Uzbekistan, and to review the overall human rights situation in the country; deplores the fact that Uzbekistan has so far failed to deliver any progress in any of these respects; pays tribute to the work done by its Subcommittee on Human Rights in closely monitoring the human rights situation every six months so as to provide the Council with regular parliamentary assessments and recommendations as regards the EU policy to be adopted in this matter; is appalled by the presidential election held on 23 December 2007 in Uzbekistan, which according to the ODIHR was 'held in a strictly controlled political environment, leaving no room for real oppositio ...

87. Recognises attempts by the Commission and the Council to organise a second round of the European Union-Uzbekistan dialogue on human rights in May 2008 and commends the Commission on its efforts to organise a civil society seminar on media expression in the margins of the dialogue, possibly in Tashkent; points out once again that the holding of a dialogue on human rights and experts’ meetings on the 2005 Andijan massacre do not in themselves constitute progress and cannot be used as a reason for the lifting of sanctions; notes that the absence of an independent international inquiry into the Andijan massacre and the lack of any impr ...[+++]ovement in the human rights situation in Uzbekistan – these being the conditions laid down by the European Union for the lifting of sanctions – have logically led to the sanctions against Uzbekistan being extended; welcomes the fact that the conclusions of the General Affairs and External Relations Council of 15-16 October 2007 have introduced specific conditions which have to be met within a period of six months in order for the visa restriction suspension to be maintained ; invites the Commission and the Council to carry out a serious assessment of the impact of the decision to suspend for six months some of the visa restrictions that form part of the European Union sanctions against Uzbekistan, and to review the overall human rights situation in the country; deplores the fact that Uzbekistan has so far failed to deliver any progress in any of these respects; pays tribute to the work done by its Subcommittee on Human Rights in closely monitoring the human rights situation every six months so as to provide the Council with regular parliamentary assessments and recommendations as regards the EU policy to be adopted in this matter; is appalled by the presidential election held on 23 December 2007 in Uzbekistan, which according to the ODIHR was 'held in a strictly controlled political environment, leaving no room for real oppositi ...

- Support and promote the commitment of the Community and EU Member States regarding the OECD Guidelines for multinational enterprises, through the inclusion in EU external relations agreements of the phrase: "The Parties (or the European Community and its Member States) remind their multinational enterprises of their recommendations to observe the OECD Guidelines for Multinational enterprises, wherever they operate.

It shall consist of the Secretary General, who shall have the chair, and of the Directors General of the Legal Service, Administration and Personnel, External Relations, Justice and Home Affairs and Joint Research Centre and of the Heads of the Internal Audit Service and the Commission Security Office.