Brussels, 16/01/2007 (Agence Europe) - Although the Commission is highlighting the need for transparency, freedom and diversity in the European media, debates and consultations that preceded Tuesday's adoption of a working document on servies demonstrates that a Community initiative on media pluralism is not appropriate at this stage. The document elaborated by the services of Commissioners Viviane Reding and Margot Wallström envisages several stages in the examination of how much pluralism exists in the media, a sector that is already highly concentrated and in which several European Parliament resolutions have already indicated risks of violating freedom of expression and information, especially in Italy.
As well as the Commission's working document on services, which proposes a brief examination of the European audio-visual and written media markets, as well as information on national regulation on media copyright and model regulations in the 27 Member States, the Commission strategy includes two other stages before new consultations begin: a) an independent study on media pluralism in EU Member States in order to define and test concrete indicators and objectives for assessing media pluralism in Member States of the EU (in 2007); b) a communication on indicators of media pluralism in Member States of the EU in 2008, which will be used as a basis for a wider public consultation that could lead to an evaluation of opportunities for applying indicators of media pluralism, in the context of an additional study, for example.
In a press release, Angel Mills Wade, Director of the European Publishers Council welcomed the Commission document conclusions, which recognise that there is no strict correlation between media concentration and pluralism. She also says that this document recognises that the EU does not have any remit for intervening in this area. In a press release she stresses that, “The European Publishers Council believes that the question of pluralism must be judged and dealt with at the…national level…We would never accept the case for new, European level media concentration legislation”. (ab)