On Monday 4 December, German MEP Petra Kammerevert (S&D) told members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) that the EUA Council had won on “all points” during the final round of interinstitutional negotiations (‘trilogues’) on the Media Freedom Act on 29 November (see EUROPE 13304/6).
“We’ve had to swallow quite a lot”, she said, adding that she did not find certain articles acceptable as they stood, such as the one relating to the content of media service providers on very large online platforms.
Germany’s Sabine Verheyen (EPP), the rapporteur for the text, also conceded that she was “not 100% satisfied” with the outcome of the latest trilogue. However, she insisted, “we don’t agree on anything until we agree on everything”.
In order to “agree on everything”, the European co-legislators will have to strike a balance on the last major issue still outstanding: the surveillance of journalists (Article 4). On this point, the position of the EU Council, which is more permissive towards governments, and that of the Parliament, which is more protective of journalists, are still far apart.
“For the moment, we don’t have any encouraging news from the EU Council on Article 4”, said Ms Verheyen. The next – and potentially final – trilogue will take place on 15 December. (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)