Independence of Audiovisual regulators: Commission launches public consultation

Pursuant to the 30 policy recommendations contained in the report of the High Level Group (HLG) on Media Freedom and Pluralism, which was made public on 21 January 2013, the European Commission launched two public consultations on media freedom and pluralism and on the independence of audiovisual regulatory bodies on 22 March 2013.

The HLG report had evidenced the need for a separate debate regarding the independence of audiovisual audiovisual regulatory bodies. On the subject of media regulatory authorities, the HLG report stated that:

• "A network of national audio-visual regulatory authorities should be created, on the model of the one created by the electronic communications framework. It would help in sharing common good practices and set quality standards. All regulators should be independent, with appointments being made in a transparent manner, with all appropriate checks and balances." (Recommendation 6, p.22)

The consultation asks whether independence could be better ensured if Article 30 of the Audiovisual and Media Services (AVMS) Directive were revised. In her speech launching the consultations, Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for the digital agenda declared:

• "We are asking whether and how to revise the EU law that applies to them [regulatory authorities] in particular to strengthen and to better guarantee their independence from governments."

The two public consultations, which were launched today, are open until 14 June 2013.
NEW: French and German language versions of the questionnaire are also be available.
 

Source: Digital Agenda Website