Some 90 representatives from 36 European regulatory authorities in the field of broadcasting (from EU, EFTA, Central and Eastern European countries a/o.) met to exchange information and experiences on European and national regulatory issues in the field of radio and television. The regulatory bodies of Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova as well as the Norwegian ownership authority attended for the first time as observers.
During the first session, which dealt with political communication on television, participants debated about principles of pluralism and specific rules during and outside election campaigns.
Two separate working groups, dealing respectively with the issue of media ownership and technical aspects of monitoring, convened simultaneously in the afternoon of the first day. The second day was dedicated to the discussion of current developments in the European media, such as major events, virtual advertising and the Council of Europe's draft Recommendation on the independence and functions of regulatory authorities for the broadcasting sector.
The European Platform of Regulatory Authorities (EPRA) was set up in April 1995 in Malta with the aim of enabling representatives of regulatory authorities to meet regularly in an informal way to exchange information about national and European media regulation and discuss practical solutions to legal problems regarding the interpretation and application of media regulation. To date, 33 regulatory authorities are members of the EPRA, the latest additions being the British Radio Authority, the Independent Media Commission of Bosnia Herzegovina and the Spanish Telecommunications Market Commission. The European Commission (DG Education and Culture) and the Council of Europe have the status of standing observers.