COMECON MEDIA

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

Source: EU Commission 23 November 2020 Brussels Today, the European Commission launched infringement procedures against 23 Member States and the United Kingdom for failing to enact the new rules governing EU-wide coordination of all audiovisual media, both traditional TV broadcasts and on-demand services, and video-sharing platforms. These new EU rules aim to create a regulatory framework fit for the digital age, leading to a safer, fairer and more diverse audiovisual landscape. They reinforce the protection of viewers, with particular regard to the safety of those most vulnerable, such as minors, and the extension of rules regarding hate speech to video-sharing platforms, and foster cultural diversity in audiovisual media, at the same time as introducing for the first time new independence requirements for national media regulators and safeguarding media pluralism. The deadline for transposing the revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive into national legislation was 19 September

20 November 2020 Related topics Media Freedom and Pluralism Supporting media and digital culture Today, the European Commission launched a call for proposals of €3.9 million to further support cross-border investigations as well as to map and address violations of press and media freedom. Vice-President for Values and Transparency, Věra Jourová, said: More than ever journalists are facing threats, from online harassment to physical attacks, from political pressure to the lack of job security. When journalists are in danger, democracy is in danger. This is why we are funding projects which will directly support journalists who need it with legal and practical assistance as well as with grants for cross-border investigations. Thierry Breton, Commissioner for the Internal Market, added: I welcome the launch of this call for proposals, which, besides supporting collaboration on journalistic investigations into topical societal issues, will also help equipping journalists with the skills an