Caterina CHINNICI

Policy topics Caterina CHINNICI is active on

What Caterina CHINNICI has said (15)

• 2025-01-30 “E-000415/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Séjourné on behalf of the European Commission The question of the Honourable Members does not, by itself, indicate whether there is any issue of EU law applying to prevent the marketing of the products under the name ‘La Famiglia – The Great Mafia War’. EU trade mark law contains provisions to safeguard against trade marks contrary to public policy or to accepted principles of morality. 1 Each case requires an analysis of how the relevant public perceives the mark. There are precedents for a similar name. The General Court declared the trade mark La Mafia se sienta a la mesa invalid as being contrary to public policy or to accepted principles of morality 2 . 1 Article 7(1)(f) of the Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017 on the European Union trade mark (OJ L 154, 16.6.2017, p. 1).Article 4(1)(f) of the Directive (EU) 2015/2436 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2015 to approximate the laws of the Member States relating to trade marks (OJ L 336, 23.12.2015, p. 1). 2 General Court, T-1/17, La Mafia Franchises SL v EUIPO.”
  Intellectual property rights (IPR) · EU competences on consumer protection and product standards
• “Thank you. Chair. I am speaking in the place of Madam Montserrat. I'd like to thank colleague Inger, who talked about what happened in the mission. Chapel plays a fundamental role in the construction of a shared training in law enforcement. European level. At a time when the threats are becoming more sophisticated And the technological and judicial aspects ever more complex. And we need to develop the appropriate tools. Europe is currently facing many security challenges terrorism, computer crime, human trafficking, animal trafficking, and all the AI issue. And in this context, Cepol has shown a good capacity for adaptation in research, innovation, international cooperation. They these strengthen its capacity for response and Europe's resilience. We must therefore strengthen training in fundamental rights and data protection. Police officers must always operate in respectful respect of democratic principles and the highest ethical standards, and it's also essential to protect those who protect us, and that is promote the mental health and the welfare of the operators and its relations with our Southern and Eastern neighbors also appreciated. We also need to strengthen cooperation with Latin America, in particular in the fight against drug trafficking and trade in human beings and Cepol, given these new challenges, must have proper funding to be able to consider to operate correctly. Our mission is also showed the need for a closer cooperation between Cepol and the European Parliament, and in particular, the Committee. Better interinstitutional links will help us to face better the common challenges strengthening security, improve cooperation, defend fundamental rights which define and unify Europe. Thank you.”
  EU law enforcement cooperation in criminal matters
• “Thank you Chairman. I really would like to thank all our guests for their really significant contributions on a subject at which you can't remain indifferent. The strategy, the EU strategy for people with disabilities does show the EU's commitment for implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This is the report that was approved last week by the European Parliament reaffirms these commitments even though unfortunately there are still many difficulties. We've heard this difficulty to access to housing, to work, to health assistance, to adequate schooling for the children and for minors and even in the last thing that you just met that just spoke, other types of difficulties which really become discrimination. Access to administrative procedures for instance or even access to the law, to justice even when dealing with something of violence within institutions where people with disabilities are. It is essential that we guarantee access to justice for disabled people so that they can protect their rights and they can be protected as well against this kind of abuse. This dramatic situation, I think it is essential that they have access to justice to guarantee full enjoyment of one's rights. There are still some discrepancies amongst member states. Instead, you have to have efficient procedures, for instance interpretation into sign language, the possibility of testifying on video, the possibility of giving translation of documents into braille or other formats that are easier to read and you write correct training for all the personnel who is involved, be they the legal sector, the courts, etcetera. So I'd like to speak to the Commission on this aspect because it is something that is essential to guarantee the rights of all the disabled people just as the Commission intends. Thank you.”
  EU policy on disability inclusion & accessibility
• “Yes. Thank you very much. Thank you, chairman. And thank you very much for such a complete and comprehensive presentation. You've given us of the mission to the United States. It's important to remember that the relationship between the EU and the US are going through a particularly complex phase, unprecedented, uh, in those terms. And as you brought out in your presentation, we still need to maintain and even intensify cooperation across the Atlantic. Because we face common challenges such as security, justice and home affairs. And the main issue we're dealing with is digital affairs, of course, the mission to Washington confirmed how important it is for us to have cooperation on both sides of the Atlantic. Now, okay, we've got different positions and we found very different views on the other side of the Atlantic. But both parties did have a desire to continue cooperation. Okay. There are different approaches, different visions. But nevertheless, our dialogues with parliamentarians and other officials from Homeland Security, the private sector. And citizens, I mean, we had intense dialogues and I think they were important for those reasons. We do see certain challenges, priorities and objectives as, as, as being key. And we need to maintain cooperation and coordination. Organized crime, transnational Terrorism, cybercrime, money laundering, all of these kinds of phenomena cross borders. And all too often they take advantage of different jurisdictions to expand their activities. So what emerged clearly from the mission is that operative cooperation between the FBI and Europol is essential, and it has to represent genuine added value.”
  US-EU tech coordination
• “Thank you very much, president. We all know that the internet is part and parcel of the lives of our children. There's a lot of opportunity out there, but excessive use of this technology actually has a risk to one's physical and mental health. It disrupts the sleep and also it disrupts one's social interactions. And then this unfair competitive practices which cause, um, addiction. We also see obviously grooming and abuse as well. And these are, uh, further um, dangers for young people online. We've already adopted the Digital Services Act and the AI act, and they need to be implemented in full. But we need to do more as this report calls for. We need, um, harmonised age limits for access to social media. We need to strengthen, um, still further the protection of minors. With the ambitious proposals on digital equality. We need to fight the most dangerous, um, online mechanisms, such as those that promote a gambling. We need to ensure that we have a maximum level of protection. Thank you.”
  Safety features & content control for child protection online
• “Thank you. Chairman. I'd like to thank our guests. Thank you for your very interesting presentations. There's no doubt about the fact that legal access to data by the authorities and judicial, police and judicial authorities is extremely important, in particular in the fight against organised crime, which exploits advanced and sophisticated technology. And this means that evidence these days is primarily electronic. So lots of interesting things can be said. But we don't have much time. So I'd like to talk to the professor Penella, as well as the other guests who referred to the difficulties and risks when it comes to access to data when it comes to encrypted data. So Europol and Eurojust obviously need to work together in the tackle in tackling organised crime. And you talked beforehand about the principle of lawful access by design. This means that when designing networks and telecom services, legal access to data should be systematically increased without, of course, compromising rights, privacy or cyber security. So from the technical viewpoint, on the basis of what we heard from our different guests, this is something which can be done in practice and it should be possible to find practical applications. So what European regulations would actually underpin the implementation of such principles?”
  Privacy & law enforcement
• “Thank you chair. Thank you. I am here replacing Mr. Kuskowski as the rapporteur of the EP. Now, Miss Malartic. I would like to begin by thanking you for your extraordinary service as the member of the European Court of Auditors during your mandate. You have demonstrated a high level of professionalism and independence as well as technical competence. As you have been working on RF audits, your work in the RF audits has been fundamental in ensuring that expenditure is effective, particularly when it comes to these reforms and you have been politically independent. These independent checks are exactly what we expect of the ECA. So we would like to thank you for your commitment to financial responsibility and transparency and constructiveness where necessary. I have two questions. The first, Miss Malartic. Is about how different member states have implemented the RF. We have seen structural weaknesses and disparities when it comes to reforms. So please could you share with us some examples where governments have been involved? My second question is about comprehensive audits regarding the RF. What do you think are the main future challenges for the ECA in guaranteeing the correct use of funds of the next generation EU? Thank you for your answers in advance.”
  Accounting and auditing of EU budget
• “(16:38:14 – 16:39:42): you, Chairman. Again, I'd like to thank all of the panelists for the very in-depth and interesting presentations they've given. I could have many questions, but given the time, I have 1 question for professor Randenberg. I must say he was very precise in setting out the details of a complicated system, which is how you can develop software and what the age verification requirements for apps can be. And you didn't shy away from saying how complex the technology is. But could I just ask you, in your view, from a legal and technical point of view, could there be mechanisms which at an upstream level would prevent people from downloading apps because they're not old enough to do so and to have an account. So could you have age verification mechanisms at the App Store level already? And in more general terms, how can we make the platforms more responsible so that the mechanisms that they adopt for age verification actually guarantee that the rules will be respected and won't be all too easy to circumvent or at the very least very vulnerable to misuse by the user? Thank you. Thank you, missus Kinichi. Professor Randenberg.”
• “(17:17:16 – 17:19:49): Yes. Thank you, chairman. I'd like to thank you for, presenting this item of the agenda, which I think is actually particularly important because we and our committee have a commitment to protecting the rights of children in all context. I fully agree with the proposal because I think it really is key for the parliament to approve the adhesion of Capo Verde Cape Verde, excuse me, to the 1980, Hague Convention. And I think, the legal affairs, committee should also express its consent. Now as as we heard, the 1980 convention is the counterpart at the international level to the, Brussels 2 a regulation, which deals with, parental responsibility and conflicts, cross border conflicts, when there are disputes within marriages. Now the idea is to ensure that you have cooperation between central authorities nominated by each member state and that that can ensure the immediate return home of the miner who's been, being held elsewhere in the unfortunate situation when there is conflict, within a marriage. I mean, obviously, minors, unfortunately, are those who suffer the most in these kinds of situations because they're the most vulnerable. So this is something that is increasing as a vice president and coordinator for the rights of children. Missus Kopatch said when she made her presentation of the 2025 activity report. And she said to us then that this, issue of international abductions of minors is increasing. So I do think that approving, the accession of Cape Verde to the 1980 convention, would be a good thing. I mean, it makes things easier between Cape Verde and EU member states, but it also means that, guarantees are extended to a larger number of children. And, we have the UN rights, convention on the rights of the child, and it refers to the to, the rights of children. And, they're the most important thing, and that's what we should be protecting with what we do. Thank you.”
  Jurisdiction conflicts between EU and national courts
• “No problem. No problem. Thank you very much, chair, for giving me the floor. This is very important to me, and I would like to thank our guests. Thank you. Especially Madam Vasileiadou, because she referred to, um, the 2016 800, uh, regulation. I was rapporteur here, and I have a long prior prior experience in child justice, so thank you for that. Now, on this directive, unfortunately, we know that while it does contain a series of procedural guarantees and other types of guarantees as well as well as support for the minor within the procedure, we also know that not many member states have implemented it. So the Commission may adopt a number of initiatives. But my question to you is. Do you not think instead of initiatives, we'd be better off having an exchange of best practices? Because in this legislation, I took inspiration from other practices in my country. But I think it would be good to exchange experiences with other countries, um, and exchange best practices of, uh, child justice in favor of the minor, including all of the, um, all stakeholders that are involved. Support for the child from the moment, which they're, um, arrested up until the very end of detention, if that's the case. So do you not think that an exchange of best practice would be a good way of acting here? And then another question. And the question is for you as well. But of course, I'm happy to hear from any of the experts. A question on victims. Unfortunately, today. There is often online abuse of children, online abuse and sexual violence against children online. And so I think we really need to take account of this specific case of victims. Just recently, I went to the Philippines and I spoke to young people who are victims to these types of abuse 20 years ago and are finding it difficult to move past it even today. So we need specific attention to that. And I'd like to hear your opinion on that and the opinion of the other experts. Thank you. Chair.”
  Privacy & detection of online child abuse
• “The correct training for all the personnel who is involved, be they the legal sector, the courts, etcetera. So I'd like to speak to the Commission on this aspect because it is something that is essential to guarantee the rights of all the disabled people just as the Commission intends. Thank you.”
  EU policy on disability inclusion & accessibility
• “Thank you, madam president, commissioner. The phenomenon of organized crime recruiting minors is not new because it's been used by the mafia. But today, it's reached alarming proportions. As I was mentioned, throughout the EU, criminal organizations systematically recruit children and young people who are involved in over 70% of, criminal gangs, but they're using increasingly, violent methods such as murders. The, recruitment methods are becoming slyer. They're using social media and online platforms. Criminals manipulate the young people by using their, language and by using methods such as, gamification. We have to act to tackle online and offline recruitment because any child recruited to create commit a crime is the first victim of that crime because they have been, exploited and deprived of their innocence. This commission text is not sufficient. The future directive against organized crime should also take this phenomenon into account. For example, with specific consequences for anybody recruiting minors, we also have to look at prevention measures to keep kids in school and give them an opportunity to develop and flourish. Organized crime flourishes where children see no way out of their degraded social setting.”
  Safety features & content control for child protection online
• “Thank you very much. I would like to thank our three panelists who have given us an excellent presentation of the challenges facing us, both academically and practically. So as one of the as a member of the European Parliament, a co-legislator in effect, it's always very interesting for me for Observing consistencies within procedures in the European Union. Quite often it's possible to find bridges ways of bringing procedures together. But it seems to me we're faced with a real question mark here as to whether the tension between technological development and judicial rules fail to keep up. We talk about back doors and front doors. But if we do want to ensure that the police or the authorities are to have access to messaging systems, clearly there's a risk of generalised surveillance with that. And that seems to be something that our guests have been hinting at. There is this real risk of generalised surveillance, officially for criminal investigations, but subsequently, perhaps to monitor political opponents and who knows where that will take us. So obviously there's no magic bullet here. And if there had been, we'd have found it a long time ago. But could you suggest. Methods which could be used to help legislators on the one hand, and those developing technology on the other, to cooperate as much as possible so as to ensure that those making laws don't hamper technological progress, while at the same time ensuring that technological progress doesn't prevent the police and judicial authorities doing their job. So I'm not sure if you have any suggestions you could make, but I realize it's quite a complicated issue. Thank you.”
  Privacy & law enforcement
• “Yes. Thank you very much, chair. I'd like to thank the speaker, Mrs. Barker, for the draft recommendations and for all the work that's been done on this file. International cooperation with third countries is indeed indispensable in preventing and combating organized crime, terrorism and other cross-border crimes. As the rapporteur correctly said, these crimes don't just go beyond national borders and jurisdictions, but. When there are differences between different national jurisdictions, then they are. The criminals quite often exploit this. So, uh, we focused a lot on Latin America. And because it's important for drug trafficking and trafficking in human beings, Ecuador has been picked out as a key partner in reducing worldwide supply of cocaine. So that's why it's very important that we should have this agreement between the EU and Ecuador. It's important that there should be cooperation between Europol and the Ecuadorian authorities. It's a major step forward. Particularly it's an improvement on the agreement on from 2023. It's a solid basis for cooperation. It's operative cooperation which is better. And it ensures that fundamental rights are observed. And that has been confirmed by the European Data Protection Supervisor, which should improve the concrete application of the agreement. So the EPP will support the rapporteur's position, which is that the Parliament will confirm the agreement between the EU and Ecuador, giving Europol, and thus our law and order forces in general, an extra instrument in the hands of combating cross-border crime. And they will also be protecting Europe's citizens from all the damage that the European Drugs Observatory has reminded us has been caused by trading cocaine. Thank you very much.”
  EU law enforcement cooperation in criminal matters
• “Grazie. President. Thank you. President. Madam executive vice president. Commissioner. In the initiative laid out by the EU platform, bullying was outlined as one of the main threats to children's mental health. 95% of the victims of cyber bullying are in fact also bullied in the real world, and that has terrible consequences, even leading to suicide, as was the case in Italy with Andrea and Paolo, who took their own lives when they were only 15. So it's time for us to act. We must ensure that we bring families, schools and social services on board. We need to make sure that there is education for young people and for children, but also for parents, so that they know how to recognise and combat online bullying. Online platforms and services must provide Accessible tools and make sure that everything is in place. To combat this phenomenon, we need to make sure that there's prevention in place to protect the most vulnerable. There is the matter of sexual abuse online and revenge porn that must be tackled as well. And we must ensure that all the existing legislation is fully implemented. We all have the duty of protecting our children and our young people, and we must guarantee that they are properly protected here in the European Union. The Commission's action plan, and I would thank the Commission for this must be implemented now. Thank you.”
  Safety features & content control for child protection online