Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

We’re fine as we are, Press tells EU as Brussels plans media freedom law

We’re fine as we are, Press tells EU as Brussels plans media freedom law

The new proposal aims to protect media organizations from political and economic meddling - but publishers worry it could interfere in their business.

Brussels has put forward a new law to protect deteriorating media freedom and pluralism across Europe — but press publishers argue it will have the opposite effect.

The European Media Freedom Act proposal aims to buffer newsrooms from political and media magnates' meddling and limit the buildup of massive media conglomerates. New rules could give media authorities a greater say over mergers, and outlets would have to disclose their owners — direct and indirect.

The Commission’s plan for an EU legislation is a response to the growing threats to media freedom across the bloc. Hungary and Poland have ramped up efforts to control the media, amid wider assaults on the rule of law in both countries. The problem is much broader with journalists in Greece, Slovenia and Malta reporting under difficult conditions and pressure from their governments.

“For the first time in EU law, we are presenting safeguards to protect the editorial independence of the media,” said Commission Vice President Věra Jourová at a press conference on Friday.

The unprecedented move has press publishers — which had already tried to kill the law during consultations — up in arms.

“Media regulators can now interfere with the free press, while publishers are estranged from their own publications,” said Ilias Konteas, executive director of the European Magazine Media Association (of which POLITICO's owner Axel Springer is a member) and the European Newspaper Publishers Association.

"The press has always operated on the basis of the principle of freedom of a publisher to set up their business and work jointly with their journalists to deliver news and information to citizens in Europe and across the world."

Unlike radio and television broadcasters, which are overseen by independent media regulators, the press in most EU countries so far has relied on self-regulation in the form of ethics codes, press and media councils, or ombudspersons.

Now, publishers' lobbies fear the law could limit their editorial control over their publications. A newly-proposed pan-European group of national media regulators is also at the center of their worries: This body, they say, could oversee their editorial activities.

The Commission has fiercely rebutted these arguments, with top officials arguing that, contrary to publishers’ criticism, the rules would instead introduce better safeguards for journalists to make independent editorial decisions.

“For some who say the EU should not regulate their media landscape in Europe, we have a message; we believe the opposite: We need to have good rules,” Jourová said.

Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton emphasized during a press conference that there was “absolutely no attempt from the Commission to grab power.”

The European board would not enforce rules on the disclosure of ownership and on potential conflicts of interests that could affect editorial decisions. It would also not oversee new rules mandating that editors must be free to make individual choices, said a Commission official. Instead, if the law is passed as currently written, the rules could be used in legal disputes before courts but wouldn't be enforced by media regulators.

European Commissioners Věra Jourová and Thierry Breton at a press conference on the European Media Freedom Act


“What the board will do is [issue] some nonbinding opinions when it comes to [media] concentration, where there could indeed be some print media involved, but this is really totally different from saying that we are putting the press under new regulatory authority,” said a Commission official.

The independent group — which has in the past been used by audiovisual regulators to share standards — will largely advise the Commission, give opinions, coordinate on potential sanctions against foreign state-funded media sharing propaganda, and act as a forum for best practices. The body would comprise the EU's 27 national audiovisual media authorities.

Press publishers may criticize the law, but journalism and press-freedom associations, as well as broadcasters, have largely stood behind the proposal.

Nearly 20 journalism and press-freedom associations including Reporters Without Borders, Civil Liberties Union for Europe and the European Federation of Journalists said that the draft EU law should go even further to shield media from undue political and commercial interest.

Noel Curran, director general of the European Broadcasting Union, applauded the Commission’s plan to “reverse the threats that the entire media sector is facing, alongside its actions to protect the rule of law.”

The Commission's plan "is not trying to get rid of any best practices or to undermine situations that are already able to guarantee plurality and independence of the media,” said Maria Luisa Stasi, the head of digital-markets law for ARTICLE 19, a nonprofit.

For publishers and the Commission, this is just the start of a long fight, as the plan still needs to face the careful scrutiny of the European Parliament and the EU Council, representing member countries' governments.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
×