In response to growing worries about the risks of political influence in some member countries, the executive body of the 27-nation European Union on Friday revealed plans for new regulations that it said would help guarantee media freedom and independence in the 27-nation bloc. The European Commission declared that the EU needs a European Media Freedom Act after hearing charges of state espionage against journalists, political pressure on media organisations, and the use of advertising to sell influence.
According to Vera Jourova, vice president of the European Commission, ‘we observe a lot of alarming trends affecting media in Europe, and it’s not just a problem of one or two nations. For the times we live in, not for the times we would like to live in,’ she stated, ‘the proposed legislation is needed’.
The commission has recently criticised the governments of Slovenia, Poland, and Hungary for attempting to exert pressure on their domestic media. However, according to EU officials, there is a risk of political interference in more than 20 member nations. ‘We must create clear guidelines: No journalist should be surveilled as a result of their employment. No public medium should be used as a propaganda outlet’, according to Jourova.
The new law’s major goals are to shield media organisations from government intrusions into their editorial independence and to stop snooping on journalists. Additionally, the legislation attempts to make media ownership more transparent and to provide steady support for public service media.
The idea wouldn’t go into force until it had been discussed and approved by all of the EU’s member states as well as the European Parliament. The main goal of the Act was to establish an independent body composed of national media authorities that would provide comments on national policies and decisions affecting media markets and market ownership. However, national authorities would not be required to abide by the European Board for Media Services’ recommendations.
Jourova dismissed suggestions that the board would be accountable to the European Commission or act as a watchdog organisation that independently monitors the actions of reporters and editors. She stated, ‘The space for media will be regulated, not the media themselves’. The legislation would outlaw the use of malware against journalists and their families, with the exception of cases involving terrorism, child abuse, or murder investigations. Countries would establish an impartial authority to handle complaints, and journalists would have the right to legal protection.
Moreover, more transparency would be added to the distribution of state advertising to the media. 21 nations, according to officials, are at medium to high risk of corruptly exploiting advertising revenue to sway editors and journalists. The commission’s second recent excursion into the media is the plan. On September 6, it officially established a group of 18 European news organisations to ‘carry out unbiased reporting on EU politics’. The European Newsroom receives about 1.8 million euros ($1.8 million) in support from the EU.
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