Other platforms
Last update: 06.04.10


The EPRA is of course not the only form of co-operation between regulatory authorities in existence. Other similar initiatives exist in Europe and elsewhere.

The following are worth mentioning:
 

The Mediterranean Network of Media Regulatory Authorities
 

The Mediterranean Network of Media Regulatory Authorities was established on 29 November 1997 in Barcelona on the initiative of Hervé Bourges (President of the French Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel - CSA) and Luís de Carreras (former President of the Catalan Consell de l'Audiovisual de Catalunya - CAC) in order to reinforce cultural and historical links between mediterranean countries and identify common challenges against the backdrop of globalisation.

The Mediterranean Network of Media Regulatory Authorities provides a platform for discussion and exchange of information and research on issues regarding broadcasting regulation. The network is currently composed of 18 members: the NCRT (Albania); The Radio Television Authority (Cyprus); The CRA (Bosnia and Herzegovina); the CSA (France); the Audiovisual Council (Jordan); the Catalan CAC, the Andalusian CAA and the CMT (Spain); the ERC (Portugal); the Autorità per le Garanzie nelle Comunicazioni (AGCOM - Italy); the National Council for Radio and Television (Greece) ; the Broadcasting Authority (Malta); The Audiovisual High Authority (Mauritania); the Radio and Television Supreme Council (Turkey); the Council for Cable TV and Satellite Broadcasting and the SATR (Israel), the Republic Broadcasting Agency (Serbia) and the HACA (Marocco). The Conseil supérieur de la communication de Tunisie (Tunisia) and the Broadcasting Council of the Republic of Macedonia recently joined the network under the status of member-observers.

The chairman is nominated by the members for a period of one year. The permanent secretariat of the network is co-ordinated by the French CSA in association with the Catalan CAC and the Cypriot authority.

The 11th meeting took place in Granada, 1-2 October 2009 upon the invitation of the Consejo Audiovisual de Andalucia. The 12th meeting of the network will take place in Turkey in 2010 upon the invitation of the Supreme Council for Radio and Television (RTÜK) presided by M. Davut Dursun.

For more information, see the website of the Mediterranean network: http://www.rirm.org
 
 
Nordic Regulatory Co-operation
 
The regulatory authorities in the Nordic countries, i.e. Iceland, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, have established regional co-operation concerning e.g. legislation, cable and satellite operations, digital broadcasting, local and community radio. The first regular meeting convened in Stockholm in the spring of 1996 and yearly meetings (one and a half-day) have since convened in Fredrikstad (Norway), Helsinki, Reykjavik and Copenhagen and Stockholm. Recurrent topics on the agenda are recent developments in the field of media legislation and audio-visual policy. Each meeting also deals with special topics like advertising aimed at children, jurisdiction or undue prominence.
 
 
French/German/UK tripartite meetings
 
Regular so-called "tripartite meetings" are organised since 1996 between the French, German and UK regulators, i.e. CSA, the ALM and the Ofcom.
 
 
The African Communication Regulation Authorities Network (ACRAN)
 
ACRAN was established in 1998 in Libreville, Gabon. ACRAN aims at developing and reinforcing the co-operation between the communication regulatory authorities in Africa. It currently counts 25 members from Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tomé, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo and Tunisia. The headquarters of ACRAN are established at Cotonou, capital of the Republic of Benin.

For more information, see the website of ACRAN: http://www.acran.org
 
 
The Network of French-speaking media regulatory authorities (REFRAM)
 

The Network of French-speaking media regulatory authorities (REFRAM) held its constitutive meeting on 1st July 2007 in Ouagadougou, Burkina-Faso.This new platform comprises 22 regulatory authorities from French-speaking African and European countries as well as Canada. It aims at fostering the exchange of information and experiences between French-speaking regulators, supporting media and freedom of speech and encouraging professionalisation in the media field.

The Chairperson of REFRAM, elected in November 2009 for a two-year mandate is Mr Ahmed GHAZALI, the Maroccan regulatory authority (Haute Autorité de la communication audiovisuelle du Maroc). The newly-elected Vice-chairperson is Mr Marc JANSSEN (President of the CSA of the French Community of Belgium).

More information on REFRAM:
http://www.refram.org/

- News item of Belgian CSA: http://www.csa.be/breves/show/366
- Press release of the French CSA: http://www.csa.fr/actualite/communiques/communiques_detail.php?id=123768
 
 
Central European Regulatory Forum (CERF)

On 10 December 2009, six regulatory authorities from Central and Eastern Europe signed an act establishing the Central European Regulatory Forum (CERF). A Memorandum of Understanding on mutual co-operation and exchange of information was signed between the following regulatory authorities: the Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting (Czech Republic), the National Radio and Television Commission (Hungary), the National Broadcasting Council (Poland), the National Audiovisual Council (Romania), the Republic Broadcasting Agency (Serbia) and the Council for Broadcasting and Retransmission of the Slovak Republic (Slovakia).

All these authorities share similar developments with regard to media legislation. More generally, the aim of the CERF is to contribute to the development of the media landscape in Central and Eastern Europe. The co-operation concerns the implementation of guidelines for proceeding in the case when a broadcast from one country breaches the laws of another country. The handling of complaints against TV or radio programmes with cross-border relevance is also foreseen in the agreement. The text of the agreement between the British and the Swedish broadcasting authorities was used as a template for formulating this Memorandum.

The cooperation may be extended to regulators from other countries that express their interest. The Forum is committed to organise at least one annual meeting.

Link to more information, the Memorandum of Understanding and a photogallery of the MoU signatories http://www.rrtv.cz/en/static/mezinarodni/