05 June 2017, 16:15
‘We ought to dismantle those fake news which bring hatred and violence – and we must at the same time intensify our cultural efforts; to teach young people lessons of critical perception, how to distinguish the true from the false, and we have to give people the needful tools,’ said the Parliament’s Chairperson.
While in Italy, Andrii Parubii at the meeting with Laura Boldrini, the President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, offered warm praise to Italy’s supportive endevours to Ukraine. ‘Your staunch support of our territorial integrity is very important to us,’ said he later on and thanked again for the great deal Italy made in granting the visa free travel for Ukraine. ‘European integration is one of the most significant areas in our country’s foreign policy,’ he added.
All the NATO’s members were at one on the Ukrainian territorial integrity, said Laura Boldrin in her turn. She also noted that the visa free regime, a significant message itself, had been the product of combined efforts of all Ukrainians and the Ukrainian diaspora settled in Italy, whose input in Italy’s economy was enormous. ‘It has become a part of our life. The kind-hearted people and very good workers,’ she added.
The President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies stated that the European Union must unite closer once the USA terminates multilateral treaties, and with Russia who aims to weaken the European Union in mind. ‘We are in a position to strengthen the integration processes,’ said L.Boldrini. She stressed that as the head of the Italian Assembly she ‘would do her utmost to involve other parliaments’ heads to act to this end’. She also said she had actively promoted the document on a closer political integration ‘and fifteen parliaments’ heads have already signed the declaration’.
One of the most pressing issues of the meeting was information security of the world. Laura Boldrini underscored that fake news are nowadays throughout the information world space, and in political debates they are even able to level the democracy values, compromise European politicians. To oppose, the Italian Parliament created two special committees – committee on the Internet and an anti-hatred-and-discrimination committee. Andrii Parubii called it to be a good idea as it could help end proliferation of defamation and sham news capable of provoking hatred.
It was agreed it is not easy to bar information now, but what one should do – teach the youth to distinguish fakes from true information, resort to critical perception, give people the needful tools.
Andrii Parubii underlined that the national security issue is in no way second against the cultural problems, taking into consideration that Russia widely uses the newest means for informational offenses, against European countries in particular.
L. Boldrini shared then her vision that there is no sense for every single country to make its own legislation as the Internet does not have any limits, with Russia’s impact over the USA election in mind. “It is absolutely new sphere we have to make decisions upon. We need to mindfully conduct the European information policy and share it with all the partners throughout the world. The modern platforms with billions of users do constitute enormously powerful means of communication, thus we have to cooperate with them to protect our credit, honour and dignity’.
Andrii Parubii informed the Italian parliamentarians about Ukraine’s reforms in progress, the eastern Ukraine situation, having stressed importance of a closer inter-parliamentarian collaboration.
A.Parubii, the Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has signed Memorandum of understanding between the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Italian Chamber of Deputies.
Italy possesses such documents signed with fourteen parliaments of the world, and thus a high assessment of the inter-parliamentary links with the Ukraine’s Parliament is displayed by signature of the Memorandum.