"The Act on Media Freedom (EMFA) is simply a European law to supply an adequate media environment so that they can be independent, free, transparent in terms of their ownership structure in specified a way that citizens can check who is behind the publisher and what is his situation.
This is besides crucial to guarantee diversity in the media landscape, so that we do not only have information dependent on the authorities, but free and independent media acting in a pluralistic way," says Newseria Sabine Verheyen, Vice-President of the European Parliament, Head of the EMFA Working Group.
Obligation to keep media independency and prohibit all forms of interference with editorial decisions
On 8 August this year, the European media freedom act will enter into force in the EU associate States. The regulation aims to defend pluralism and media independence. According to the fresh EC regulation of Law report, this is inactive an area where there are many threats. The European Parliament besides calls on associate States to work intensively to advance media freedom and the protection of journalists.
Under the act adopted last year, associate States undertake to keep media independency and to prohibit any interference in editorial decisions. The implementation of the fresh rules besides aims to guarantee that journalists are protected from the request to disclose sources and usage spyware against them. All services providing news and current affairs information, regardless of size, will gotta print information about their owners in the national database. The media will besides gotta study on revenues from public advertising and state financial support, including from countries outside the Union. The European Media Services Council will be liable for supervising and coordinating the implementation of the fresh rules. It will besides service as an advisory body for the European Commission, providing it with expertise and assistance in media regulation. The rules will apply in the associate States on 8 August.
MEPs condemned attacks on freedom of the press and journalists
In its June EP resolution, which dealt with the European Commission's erstwhile study on the regulation of law, he called for the European Freedom of the Media Act to be implemented as shortly as possible, stressing that it is simply a key milestone in protecting the independence, pluralism and integrity of the media scenery across the EU. Euro MPs condemned attacks on freedom of the press and journalists, the usage of spyware against them, as well as the interference of states and politicians in editorial activities.
– To address these problems, we request a number of different rules. We have the Act on media freedom, and a fewer years ago we introduced a directive on audiovisual media services, which besides imposed more obligations on social media. We have prepared the Digital Services Act and the anti-SLAPP directive to counter direct attacks on journalists and unjustified lawsuits aimed at silencing journalists and putting force on them," says Sabine Verheyen.
The government is working on a fresh model of state backing to replace the licence fee system
In the chapter on Poland, the EC stressed that the planned improvement of media law is intended to address concerns about the impartiality and independency of the media regulator, as well as to strengthen the broader knowing of the independency and pluralism of public media. In the Commission's view, any advancement has been made in strengthening the licensing procedure for broadcasting and in ensuring the independent management and editorial independency of public media, although there are inactive any challenges to defend media pluralism, especially in cases of abroad investment in their ownership. The government is working on a fresh model of state backing that would replace the strategy of subscription fees, as well as expanding the safety of journalists, and protecting journalism sources and the confidentiality of communications.
– I think Poland has a hard situation. Although there is simply a will to implement the Act on media freedom and make a wider and more diverse media landscape, it is inactive not easy to make changes due to the fact that the president and Prime Minister are of a different political option. With the current structures, regulations can be blocked by the President, says Vice-President of the European Parliament.
