The European Commission has revealed plans to enact a Media Freedom Act next year.
Speaking at the European News Media Forum, Thierry Breton, commissioner for the internal market, said: “its purpose will be to ensure the integrity and independence of the EU media market. In doing so, we want to boost media pluralism and improve the resilience of the sector as a whole.
“We want to act against all types of unjustified interferences in the activities of our media companies.
We need to make sure that there are media pluralism safeguards, including online, so no one grows too big to care about public debate”.
Breton added: “The European Media Freedom Act will also contribute to making our information space more secure. This is a matter of European sovereignty: as you may have heard me say on multiple occasions, everything is geopolitical. Information, far from being an exception, is a textbook case of interferences from hostile foreign actors.
“The Act will build on the revised audiovisual media services directive and will complement the Digital Services Act package and the recent reform of copyright rules. In doing so, we are building a truly comprehensive media policy for the digital age”.
He concluded by saying: “I will be very honest: with the European Media Freedom Act, we will walk a fine line. And we want to walk this line together with the industry, civil society, and with Member States and their regulatory authorities.
“We will soon launch a public consultation and we want to hear from you: what do youidentify as necessary to safeguard your independence? Where do you encounter barriers or restrictions in your operations? How can we best help you fulfil your vital role for our democracies?”
Broadband TV News notes that Breton did not name any specific countries in discussing concerns about media freedoms.
