Bracing for an unprecedented regulatory capture by a so-called ‘Media Freedom’ Regulation

Europe’s publishers are braced for unprecedented regulatory capture by a so-called ‘Media Freedom’ Regulation

The European Commission is due to adopt tomorrow controversial plans to regulate for media freedom, introducing for the first time statutory regulators with powers over the press.

A leak of the proposal indicates highly worrisome interventions in how publishers and editors operate to uphold editorial independence, covering sensitive areas which rightly are not currently subject to national legislation.

For the first time in the history of the European Union press publishers and editors will be subject to regulatory oversight by a European Board for Media Services, run by the European Commission empowered to give guidance on matters pertaining to press freedom, in an internal market for media that does not exist because of different cultural and linguistic traditions.

The EPC calls on European Commissioners to reject the articles we have seen in the leak which touch upon editorial freedom, leaving these fundamental matters of press freedom to the general law, self-regulation and editors’ codes of practice.

We will update this statement following adoption of the final text.