The EPRA back to Dublin for its 28th Meeting

Eleven years after convening in Dublin for its 5th meeting in April 1997, the European Platform of Regulatory Authorities (EPRA) was back in the Emerald capital to hold its 28th meeting on 29-31 October at the invitation of the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI).

About 150 delegates from 41 countries attended the meeting where 50 regulatory authorities were represented. They were joined by the permanent observers from the Council of Europe, the European Audiovisual Observatory and the European Commission. The on-going transposition of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive was the focal point on the agenda, with plenary sessions addressing two questions of paramount importance, i.e. "how to determine which services are to be regulated?" and "what kind of regulatory architecture can be envisaged?". Whereas the first session debated on which linear and non-linear services fall under the material scope of the new AVMS Directive, the second session discussed the implementation of self and co-regulatory schemes in Europe.

In addition to the plenary sessions, several working groups convened on a wide range of topical subjects including the role of regulators in the supervision of public service activities (WG1), political pluralism in the media (WG2) and regulatory approaches to digital television (WG3).

The next meeting will convene in Tallinn, from 6 to 8 May 2009, at the invitation of the Estonian Broadcasting Council (Ringhäälingunõukogu).

(C) picture courtesy of Irish BCI