back to top
Dates for the diary
Early 2009 - Media pluralism
Early 2009 - Media literacy
Beginning - 2009 State aid and public service broadcasters
5 February - Competition
10 February - Internet safety
16-18 February - Telecoms
17 February - Digital libraries
Spring 2009 - Telecoms
March - VAT
March 5 - State aid and public service broadcasters
19-20 March - Copyright
26-27 March - European Year of Creativity and Innovation
April - Content online
19-21 April - Internet safety
11-13 May - Internet
July 2009 - Work plan for culture 2008-2010
Second half 2009 - Study on access of young people
Summer/Early Autumn - Copyright
back to top
More detail
A Commission Communication on the indicators for media pluralism in the
EU Member States is planned for early 2009, following consultation.
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/media_taskforce/pluralism/index_en.htm
back to top
Recommendation from European Commission expected.
back
to top
Public consultation on this issue is over.
As the EU considers revising rules on state aid to public service
broadcasters, the EPC supports the Commission's attempt to sure up fair
competition in Europe's media markets.
The future role of publicly
funded broadcasters, including on the internet, has been the subject of a
Commission Stakeholder consultation on a new draft setting out the
application of state aid rules to public service broadcasting and we move
steadily into the next phase of institutional debate on this key issue.
This topic is crucial, both for
the future of public service broadcasting, but also for the future of
commercial broadcasters and publishers.
This debate centres on whether or not the rules surrounding state aid
to public broadcasters need revising as they seek to expand into new
media. It is our firm opinion that indeed we do need a revision. And why
is that? Since the last text was adopted in 2001, broadcasters have moved
onto new platforms, have become far more ambitious and are competing head
on with publishers in the online environment. Public broadcasters have not
only been migrating to digital TV platforms but also to the Internet and,
in many cases, morphing into online newspaper and magazine publishers -
funded by the public purse - and competing head on with commercial
publishers, thereby distorting competition. This is why the EPC welcomes a
clear Communication from the Commission on the application of state aid
rules so that we can endeavour to establish some kind of level playing
field and ensure that public service broadcasting is indeed limited to an
agreed definition of what a public service should provide rather than a
free-for-all funded by the state to the detriment of all other players in
the marketplace and often paid for directly by European consumers.
Specifically, the EPC is asking the Commission to ensure that the
Communication deals with the following concerns:
i) Remit: There is a need to define programming that meets the
"democratic, social and cultural needs of each society" and that
guarantees pluralism. Without a clear remit, the Commission and Member
State authorities will be unable to manage compliance effectively;
ii) Aid for new market developments: All online services are not an
automatic element of the public service remit and they can have
cross-border implications in terms of trade and audience. The EPC welcomes
the Communication's call for an ex ante test to assess the market impact
of digital media services, to be carried out by an independent body;
iii) Pay services: the EPC is calling for stricter provisions to ensure
that there is a clear distinction between "public service remit" and
commercial content products and services, particularly those where there
is additional cost to the consumer such as on internet-related mobile
activities.
Whilst the EPC supports genuine public service broadcasting, it is
essential for media pluralism and the maintenance of democracy that there
should be fair play conditions to allow for a free, independent European
media.
The current draft Communication deals with most of the EPC's concerns.
Now it is essential for the European Institutions to safeguard media
pluralism in Europe. They must stand against any attempts at national or
European level to water down the provisions laid down in the current text
that would result in the absence of adequate checks and balances required
to keep the funding of public service broadcasting fair and proportionate
in a free market. Ministers at national level responsible for the public
service broadcasters will not want to see any changes that impact on their
current freedoms, that is obvious. However, they need to see the bigger
picture and appreciate that a healthy media sector is dependent on fair
play in the market. This is especially pertinent now when newspapers are
experiencing huge losses in advertising revenue and facing difficult and
growing competition in the online environment by non-European players such
as search engines and other content aggregators.
There will be a Public Hearing hosted by the EP CULT Committee on 5
March though this may change if the Commission comes up with a further
revision to its Communication sooner than this date.
back
to top
Commission Communication expected on media pluralism indicators.
More info:
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/media_taskforce/pluralism/index_en.htm.
back
to top
The 4th iComp Council Meeting will be held in Berlin on 5/2/09. There
will be a particular focus on intellectual property and copyright to
coincide with the grand opening of the capital’s annual international film
festival.
back
to top
The 6th Safe Internet Day is being held on 10 February. There will be
special attention given to social networking sites and discussions on how
to protect and empower Europe’s youngest generation in the online
environment. The EU adopted a new Safer Internet Programme for 2009-2013
in December’09 with a budget of 55 million euros to make the internet a
safer place for children.
back
to top
Ministerial conference on e-communications: “Next Steps in EU
Telecoms”.
For more information, go to:
www.eu2009.cz/event/1/269.
back
to top
Information day on the third call for proposals of the ICT policy
Support Programme (part of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework
Programme).
More info:
http://ec.europa.eu.
back
to top
European Parliament Second Reading of Telecoms package.
back
to top
Council vote on Reduced rages of VAT expected.
back
to top
The EP CULT Committee has scheduled a public Hearing on this issue for
5 March.
back
to top
Conference on Audiovision and Copyright “The Responsibilities of
Content Providers and Users”. This event will focus on raising awareness
of issues related to the legal supply of services, piracy and advertising.
For more information:
http://eu2009.cz/event/1/392.
back
to top
This ministerial conference will be held in Prague to mark the
development and relationship between creativity and culture. The
conference will address the issues of the creative industry and economy,
the relation of civil society to creativity and the implementation of
cultural strategies.
back
to top
Commission Recommendation expected on aspects of the Content Online
initiative, most likely focussing on multi-territorial licensing, digital
rights management and possibly ISP cooperation with rightsholders over
illegal sharing of copyright content online. It will deal with new
business models, legal affairs, consumers’ rights (not judicial disputes)
and best practices to fight piracy.
back
to top
Ministerial conference on safer internet for children. More info:
http://eu2009.cz/event/1/473.
back
to top
Event on Future of the Internet:
http://eu2009.cz/event/1/2434.
back
to top
Conference dedicated to the European Digital Library:
http://eu2009.cz/event/1/1070.
back
to top
In this work plan, the Council calls for the establishment of working
groups composed of experts from Member States to invite each Presidency to
build on the achievements of the Work Plan as well as to report on the
implementation of the latter; to invite the Member States and the
Commission to regularly consult the stakeholders regarding the
implementation of the Work Plan to ensure the relevance and visibility of
the activities; to invite the Commission, in consultation with and on the
basis of voluntary contributions from Member States, to report on
developments both at mid-term and at the end of the period covered by the
Work Plan.
Each Member State interested in participating in the work of the
working groups will nominate an expert as a member of a working group. The
expert should ideally have a mix of operational and policy experience in
the relevant field at a national level. Member States can invite other
experts or officials to attend the meetings of the working groups as
observers. The working groups will submit a mid-term report by July
2009 on the work carried out thus far, which will feed into the final
report on the implementation of the Council Work Plan for Culture 2008 -
2010.
The Working Plan’s priorities are
- to improve the conditions for the mobility of artists and other
professionals in the cultural field;
- to promote access to culture, in particular through the promotion of
cultural heritage, multilingualism, digitisation, cultural tourism,
synergies with education, especially art education, and greater mobility
of collections;
- to develop data, statistics and methodologies in the cultural sector
and improve their comparability;
- to maximise the potential of cultural and creative industries, in
particular that of SMEs; (this will involve several studies and a
Green
Paper on cultural and creative industries);
- to promote and implement the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and
Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
For each of the above priorities there are specific actions
provisioned, both for the Commission and the Member States with specific
timetable and objectives. Cultural education in schools will be of
interest as it gives space to mention copyright and respect for IPR.
http://register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/en/08/st09/st09018.en08.pdf
back
to top
Proposals due following Green Paper on Copyright in the Knowledge
Economy consultation.
back
to top
This study will seek to identify obstacles to the access of young
people to culture as well as good practices in making this access easier.
back
to top
For more information please contact
Angela Mills-Wade, EPC Executive Director on Tel: +44 1865 310 732 or
Heidi Lambert
on Tel: +44 1245 476 265 or visit
www.epceurope.org.
back
to top
