44. Welcomes the continuing constructive dialogue with international actors, and stresses that the cooperation between the Council of Europe and the Hungarian Government has borne tangible results, as reflected in Act XXXIII of 2013, which addresses some of the concerns previously highlighted in the legal assessments of media legislation, notably in relation to the appointment and election procedures of the presidents of the Media Authority and the Media Council; recalls, however, that there are still concerns regarding the independence of the media authority;

1. Recognises that governments have the primary responsibility for guaranteeing and protecting freedom of the press and media; points out that governments also have the primary responsibility for hampering freedom of the press and media and, in the worst cases, are increasingly resorting to legal pressures in order to restrict that freedom, e.g. through the abuse of anti-terrorism or anti-extremism legislation and laws on national security, treason or subversion; notes that a balance between national security issues and freedom of i ...[+++]nformation needs to be struck in order to prevent abuses and guarantee the independence of the press and media; recognises that media empires owned by politicians are sometimes empowered to carry out misinformation campaigns; emphasises that it is essential that the press and the media can operate independently and free of pressure through political and financial means; is alarmed at the general downward trend in the grading of the press and media freedom environments in various countries both within and outside Europe, according to the latest annual Indexes and Analysis Reports (see list in the Annex at the end of report A7-0176/2013);

Summary code: Audiovisual and media / Digital television and interactive media Education, training, youth, sport / Lifelong learning / Specific measures / eLearning Information society / Digital Strategy, i2010 Strategy, eEurope Action Plan, Digital Strategy Programmes / i2010 Strategy and eEurope Action plans / i2010

Summary code: Audiovisual and media / Digital television and interactive media / Interactive media Culture / Culture Programmes Information society / Digital Strategy, i2010 Strategy, eEurope Action Plan, Digital Strategy Programmes / i2010 Strategy and eEurope Action plans / i2010

Whilst the EU has been active in protecting children from harmful media influences, such as the 1999 action plan and the Council recommendation, it is high time that a more concrete action plan was developed which involves not only policy-makers, but also NGOs, consumer groups and voluntary associations.

8. Calls for the establishment and strengthening of the dialogue between European officials and the central and local authorities of Albania, in cooperation with the Council of Europe and with Italy and Greece, the main EU countries to suffer the consequences of Albania's instability and to bear the brunt of illegal immigration and the activities of organised criminals, the latter being the only EU countries which have a common border or are in close geographical proximity with Albania, principally in order to consolidate the process of political rapprochement with Europe, to help the emergence of the new rulers of the country and to support legal democratic institutions (Parliament, local communities, organisation of civil society) and to ...[+++]contribute to the smooth functioning of the rule of law and of the judicial and administrative apparatus and to support the independent media;