Brussels, 26/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - The European Union must safeguard its essential values and not give in to excessive and complicated regulations in its efforts to revise the directive on audiovisual media services. Additionally, it needs to be strict on the quality of content, irrespective of the platform used to access it. These are the conclusions of the discussions of the ministers for audiovisual, at the Culture-Audiovisual Council of 26 November, following a discussion on convergence of the media, although more mixed views emerged from this, demonstrating the need to go into the issue in more depth in the future. “Certain (member states) believe that the status quo is justified. Others want to regulate, but cannot agree on how to do so (…). We need more information and analysis and the Green Paper is a good basis; the work will continue”, said the commissioner with responsibility for audiovisual, Androulla Vassiliou. “The possibilities opened up by new technologies are also new possibilities to have access to content (…). We need quality content for all services (…) and the rules need to be adapted at European and national levels”, Lithuanian Culture Minister Sarunas Birutis summed up.
The convergence of the media qualifies the phenomenon arising from new technologies being embedded in the traditional audiovisual landscape: the well-known boundaries between consumers, the media and the internet are breaking down and a new audiovisual landscape is emerging, with the roles of each redistributed. On 24 April 2013, the European Commission adopted a Green Paper on media convergence, calling on interested parties to submit their opinions on a number of questions relating to competition, content, traditional values, media pluralism and the compatibility of new technologies within the single market. On Tuesday, the audiovisual ministers gave their opinions on all of these questions. As regards the issue of linear and non-linear services, most member states are against maintaining a different framework: non-linear services must fulfil the same requirements as linear services. European values, cultural diversity, media pluralism, the protection of personal data and the protection of minors are also values which must be protected or even stepped up in a digital environment, many member states also stressed. Children and young people in particular must be given a framework and be “trained about the media”. A number of delegations were also in favour of co-regulation and self-regulation for the emergence of a more appropriate new framework. (IL/transl.fl)