The European Parliament has backed the EU’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) and warned against what it describes as outside pressure from the United States to weaken European media rules.
In a new resolution adopted in Strasbourg, MEPs reiterated that the AVMSD applies equally to all media providers active in the European Union – including US-based streaming and online platforms – and does not discriminate by origin. The Parliament said the framework is designed to ensure a level playing field while protecting cultural diversity, media pluralism and the public interest.
Dan Jørgensen, European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, said it was a matter of cultural sovereignty, not just market access. He told MEPs the issue is “reaffirming the principles of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive and restating what makes Europe unique: our cultural and linguistic diversity and our shared belief that culture and media are a cornerstone of our democracy.”
The move follows months of criticism from the US administration and major American media and tech stakeholders over Europe’s approach to digital and audiovisual regulation. Lawmakers said Europe must be able to define and enforce its own cultural and media policy, and called on the European Commission, EU Member States and the Council to defend both the AVMSD and the EU’s long-standing “cultural exception” in international trade talks. That includes keeping audiovisual services out of trade agreements so national and European authorities retain the ability to set their own media rules. ebu.ch
Wouter Gekiere, Head of the European Broadcasting Union’s Brussels office, said the Parliament had “set the record straight”, arguing that recent challenges to EU media law have been based on “misleading and sometimes even false claims”. He said the AVMSD creates equal obligations and opportunities for European, American and other international media companies operating in the Single Market.
The Parliament’s resolution also underlines the AVMSD’s strategic role as the core legal instrument for Europe’s audiovisual market. The directive underpins cross-border distribution rules for linear and on-demand services, while giving member states tools to secure prominence for European works, protect audiences and support media plurality.
The EBU urged the Commission and EU governments to align with the Parliament’s position and resist third-country pressure in the run-up to the next AVMSD evaluation, which is due in 2026. Public service media groups argue that reinforcing the EU rulebook is essential to safeguard cultural diversity, independent journalism and media freedom in Europe.
