Brussels, 08/07/2010 (Agence Europe) - In today's changing environment, advertising remains the main source of revenue for the content industry, making it possible to ensure quality production and protect the independence of the media. Last week, representatives of the European media business - including the Association of Commercial Television in Europe (ACT), the Association of European Radios (AER), the European Publishers' Council (EPC), the European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA), the Association of Television and Radio Sales Houses (EGTA), the European Newspaper Publishers Association (ENPA), the European Association of Magazine Publishers (FAEP), and the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) - met in Brussels to discuss the future and viability of the media in Europe. At the conference, they called on the European Union to establish a regulatory environment in which free, independent, diverse and vibrant media will be sustainable in the future. Collectively, and as part of the debates relating to the European Commission's digital strategy, they called on political decision-makers to take the following elements into account in their decisions: 1) the media play a crucial role in democracy by informing citizens about current events, entertaining and connecting viewers, listeners and readers; 2) advertising funds a diverse, pluralistic media landscape - good content costs money and without advertising many of the world's media would not exist; 3) self regulation across Europe ensures responsible advertising - consumers are protected due to the self-regulatory system established in all EU member states and at the European level; 4) the close relationship between media and advertising benefits European creative industries; and 5) a disproportionate regulation of advertising or bans on advertising of certain products of the imposition of specific advertising requirements (such as mandatory labelling-type information in advertising) will lead to a decline in revenues for all media across Europe - the regulatory framework needs to reflect technological changes and allow this complex market to provide services and content that consumers want. The media business representatives pointed out that the media industry is constantly seeking solutions for keeping costs reasonable for the production of European content. Content must be sufficiently appreciated by consumers that they spend time watching it and even pay for access to it, they said. (I.L./transl.jl)