Conclusive or non-conclusive? The suspense over the outcome of the inter-institutional negotiations on the cable and satellite regulation, which took place on the evening of Monday 8 October, remained unresolved at the time of EUROPE going to press.
Negotiations on this regulation – which aims to end geographical blockage for certain radio and television programmes – started eight months ago. In particular, the draft regulation aims to promote the cross-border provision of ancillary online services and to facilitate the digital retransmission of television and radio broadcasts from other member states (see EUROPE 11624). But despite the low number of articles (7 in total), negotiators are struggling to reach agreement.
In a text dated 28 September and seen by EUROPE, the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the EU suggests changing the nature of the instrument chosen by the Commission to overcome differences of opinion on direct injection. It proposes opting for a directive, rather than a regulation, in order to leave more flexibility to the member states.
In a blog post dated 5 October, European Commission Vice-President Andrus Ansip called for them to overcome their disagreements. "Honestly, I am worried", he said, lamenting a lack of political will. For him, it is essential that this legislation is adopted to put an end to the current "cultural lock". (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)