Dark computer – Photo by Gery Wibowo on Unsplash
(BRUSSELS) – The European Media Freedom Act, the EU’s unprecedented new set of rules designed to protect media independence and pluralism, entered into force Tuesday.
The new legislation provides safeguards against political interference in editorial decisions and against surveillance of journalists.
“Media companies play a vital role in our democracies but are confronted with falling revenues, threats to media freedom and pluralism and a patchwork of different national rules,” said Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton: “Thanks to the European Media Freedom Act, media companies will enjoy common safeguards at EU level to guarantee a plurality of voices and be able to better benefit from the opportunities of operating in our single market without any interference, be it private or public.”
The Act guarantees that media can operate more easily in the internal market and online. Additionally, the regulation also aims to secure the independence and stable funding of public service media, as well as the transparency of both media ownership and allocation of state advertising.
More specifically, the European Media Freedom Act will:
- Protect editorial independence by requiring Member States to respect the effective editorial freedom of media service providers;
- Protect journalistic sources, including against the use of spyware.
- Ensure the independent functioning of public service media, including by guaranteeing adequate, sustainable and predictable financial resources and fostering transparency in appointing the Head or members of public service media management boards;
- Guarantee the transparency of media ownership through the disclosure by media service providers of specific information about themselves (e.g. legal names, contact details, ownership);
- Provide safeguards against the unwarranted removal by Very Large Online Platforms (designated under the Digital Services Act) of media content produced according to professional standards but deemed incompatible with terms and conditions;
- Introduce a right of customisation of the media offering on devices and interfaces, such as connected TVs, enabling users to change the default settings to reflect their own preferences;
- Ensure Member States provide an assessment of the impact of key media market concentrations on media pluralism and editorial independence through media pluralism tests;
- Ensure more transparency on audience measurement for media service providers and advertisers, to limit the risk of inflated or biased audience data;
- Establish transparency requirements for the allocation of state advertising to media service providers and online platforms by public authorities and entities;
- Intensify and extend the cooperation and coordination between media regulators, including on measures concerning media services from outside the Union.
