Press publishers comment on the European Parliament’s adopted Report on Strengthening Media Freedom and ask for competition to be restored in the online ecosystem
EMMA, the European Magazine Media Association and ENPA, the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association which together represent tens of thousands of newspapers and magazines across Europe would like to comment on the report on strengthening media freedom: the protection of journalists in Europe, hate speech, disinformation and the role of platforms which was adopted by the European Parliament’s Plenary today. ENPA and EMMA welcome that the report recognises the importance of media freedom and media’s essential role in European democracies, as brought forward by the COVID-19 pandemic, and includes several positive provisions. It is important that the report also stresses that the legal framework created by the EU states should contribute to the creation of independent and pluralistic media, and that any actions of the state contrary to these values constitute a serious abuse of powers and go against the fundamental values of the EU. The document repeatedly condemns all attempts by the s