Brussels, 21/12/2007 (Agence Europe) - Following a survey carried out last year, the European Commission, on 20 December, published a communication setting out its plans to promote media literacy and the exchange of good practice across Europe. At a time when new information and communication technologies are making it easier to retrieve and disseminate information, on the one hand, and ordinary people are increasingly accessing and posting on-line content which can be viewed throughout the world, on the other, the Commission notes that not everybody always fully understands the context within which such material is written, seen or read, or the possible consequences of publishing something themselves. “Everybody therefore needs to develop new skills, as active communicators and creators of content,” says the Commission, adding that the new media-related challenges “create concerns regarding safety, inclusion and access for all”. The communication is the first policy document on media literacy at EU level. It is an integral part of its overall policy to increase confidence in and use of online content and complements the new Audiovisual Media Services Without Borders directive and the MEDIA 2007 programme. “I believe that especially with regard to advertising, promoting media literacy is a much more appropriate approach than advocating advertising bans, which I oppose,” said Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding. The communication focuses on three areas: - media literacy for commercial communication, covering issues related to advertising; - media literacy for audiovisual works, which is in part about raising awareness of European film and enhancing creativity skills; - and media literacy for online which, for example, will give citizens a better knowledge of how Google and other internet search engines work. The Commission has also announced that a study is to be launched in 2008 on how to assess media literacy levels, and, with a view to encouraging sharing of best practice, will, if necessary, adopt a set of recommendations in the future. (I.L.)