European Media Freedom Act: Commission proposes rules to protect media pluralism and independence in the EU

The European Commission adopted today a European Media Freedom Act, a novel set of rules to protect media pluralism and independence in the EU.

The proposed Regulation includes, among others, safeguards against political interference in editorial decisions and against surveillance. It puts a focus on the independence and stable funding of public service media as well as on the transparency of media ownership and of the allocation of state advertising.

It also sets out measures to protect independence of editors and disclose conflicts of interest. Finally, the Act will address the issue of media concentrations and create a new independent European Board for Media Services, comprised of national media authorities. The Commission also adopted a complementary Recommendation to encourage internal safeguards for editorial independence.

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