Worrying study on #mediafreedom and pluralism in 7 EU countries: Urgent EU action needed

The recently published study on  “A comparative analysis of media freedom and pluralism in the EU Member States“conducted research on Bulgaria, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy,Poland and Romania, all countries which have shown political pluralism at high risk, accompanied by heavy state interference in the media, or close economic ties between politics and media. The 175 pages long study starts with the premise that any attempt to address media freedom and pluralism on a European level should be “intrinsically connected to the issues of democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights and should become part of a regular process of democratic…

EAO Conference: Media Ownership in Europe

The European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO), part of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, organises a major free entry conference in Brussels every autumn. Target groups for this conference are media industry professionals, decision makers and interest groups, regulators, representatives from the European institution, academics and researchers and press. This year’s conference, the third edition of this highly successful event, will focus on the issue of media ownership. The Observatory will explore the dangers and the opportunities linked to the question of media concentration by presenting two major new reports: the first a market study of media concentration in Europe and the second a legal…

EU Colloquium on Fundamental Rights: “Media pluralism and democracy”

European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans, in cooperation with Commissioner Günther Oettinger and Commissioner Vĕra Jourová, will be hosting the 2016 Colloquium on Fundamental Rights on 17 and 18 November 2016 in Brussels. Key national and EU policy makers in the European Union, media representatives, journalists, companies, representatives of civil society organisations, international organisations and academics will reflect together, from a fundamental rights perspective, on the multiple links between a free and pluralistic media space and democracy. They will explore the challenges and opportunities arising in the converged media environment, where for example opinion-shaping is increasingly done on internet platforms…

Commission to assess EU audiovisual rules on media pluralism and independence of media regulators

The European Commission has launched a public consultation to assess current EU law on audiovisual media (Audiovisual Media Services Directive 2010/13/EU – AVMSD) to check if the current legislation is up-to-date for media in the digital era. According to the Commission’s communications, the consultation focuses on the following key topics: providing rules to shape technological developments creating a level playing field for emerging audiovisual media preserving cultural diversity protecting children and consumers safeguarding media pluralism combating racial and religious hatred guaranteeing the independence of national media regulators. During the review, stakeholders will be asked how effective the current law in…