Regulatory authorities

Media regulation sets the rules for how media is made, shared and used.

At its core, media regulation seeks to protect freedom of expression, while also respecting other important rights. To ensure rules which affect these rights are applied fairly, countries have set up independent media regulatory bodies, known as national regulatory authorities or NRAs, which work independently from government. These authorities help safeguard media freedom and encourage a range of different voices and views in the media, while making sure audiences are protected from harm.

Independent media regulators started to become common across Europe in the 1980s, as countries moved away from having just one public broadcaster.

Each media regulator is shaped by the country’s own laws and history. This means they can be quite different from one another, in how they are organised and what powers they have.

However, the principles of good regulation and many of the challenges facing media today cut across national borders.

It is therefore important for media regulators from different countries - and in related fields - to be responsive, flexible and work together.
 

• More information on challenges faced by NRAs and their networks
• More information on the independence of NRAs
• List of regulatory authorities’ member of EPRA
• List of networks of media regulatory authorities
• IRIS Newsletter - legal developments for the audiovisual industry
• IRIS MERLIN - legal developments database for the AV industry
• AVMSD Database - AVMS implementation measures
• MAVISE Database - audiovisual services and their jurisdiction
• YEARBOOK online
• OPUS Database: Legislations on European works across Europe
• VERBO - Freedom of Expression, the Media and Journalists
• LUMIERE VOD: European works on on-demand services in Europe