Second ERGA meeting: focus on regulatory independence

The European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services (ERGA) met in Brussels for the second time under the Chairmanship of Mr. Olivier Schrameck, President of the French CSA, on 21 October 2014. ERGA adopted a Statement on the independence of NRAs in the audiovisual sector and asked the European Commission to take the considerations in this statement into account in the context of the upcoming REFIT exercise of the AVMS Directive.

ERGA Members also adopted the Work Programme 2015 and approved the outlines of the future work of the subgroups. The work programme will encompass two main subjects: the independence of audiovisual regulatory authorities and the evolution of the European regulatory framework in a converged media age.Three subgroups will have the remit to carry out a prospective analysis on the reassessment of the European regulatory instruments in the field of audiovisual media services, with a focus on the issues of material jurisdiction (scope), territorial jurisdiction and protection of minors.

ERGA also discussed and adopted two framework documents, one on the scope of the AVMS Directive and the other on the protection of minors in converged environment. The aim of these documents is to prepare and guide the work of the subgroups dedicated to these topics.

ERGA was established by the European Commission on 3 February 2014. The Group advises the Commission in implementing the EU's Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) in a converged media age. It is composed of 28 heads or high level representatives of the independent national regulatory authorities for audiovisual media services nominated by each Member State. Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, EPRA and the European Audiovisual Observatory were also invited in their capacity as observers. The ERGA inaugural meeting took place in March 2014. The next meeting will take place in spring 2015.

ERGA coexists with other cooperation networks whose objectives and mode of functioning are complementary, the largest of them being the EPRA. EPRA will retain its specificity and added-value as an informal and independent platform for cooperation with its unique geographical coverage and practical and pragmatic orientation. ERGA has strategic EU policy-oriented discussions and is to adopt common positions or declarations on the implementation of the audiovisual EU regulatory framework, whereas EPRA will continue holding practically-oriented exchanges of experiences and identifying best practices on media regulation in Europe.

• Press release of the European Commission
• Press release of the French CSA (in French)
• Statement on the independence of NRAs in the audiovisual sector
• ERGA Work Programme 2015
• Draft Agenda of the second meeting of ERGA
• European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services

Source: Website of the European Commission and the French CSA