Media Freedom in the EU: Keynote der EU-Vizepräsidentin Věra Jourová
Lesen Sie nachfolgend die Keynote von Věra Jourová, Vizepräsidentin der EU-Kommission und Kommissarin für Werte und Transparenz im Wortlaut.
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is a pleasure for me to take part in this important event discussing the key issues that the media sector is facing, from the role of journalists, political advertising and election campaign to the power of online platforms and the reform of EU copyright rules.
I really hope that I can come in person for your next edition and visit the creative and vibrant city of Leipzig where we also have the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom.
In the meantime, let me tell you now a few words about our vision of the media sector in the European Commission and our action.
It is the first time that the Commission focuses so much on media freedom and media pluralism.
And it is high time.
Media freedom and pluralism are core values of the European Union, they are at the heart of democracy, but they are increasingly under threat. This was demonstrated by our first ever rule of law report published last September. This report analyses the situation of media freedom and pluralism across all Member States, together with justice independence, anti-corruption measures and general democratic checks and balances. It provides us with a sound analysis we can build on for discussions with Member States and future action.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown more than ever the essential role of journalists to inform citizens and to make our democracies work.
But at the same time, the pandemic also exacerbated the economic challenges faced by the media sector. As you know it well, the crisis started well before the pandemic with advertising revenues shifting to major online platforms.
This is why we needed to step up our action. And this is exactly what the Commission did.
In December 2020, we presented a comprehensive European approach for the media recognising the essential role that they play for democracy and the importance for them to make the most of the digital transformation to thrive in the long term. Because the media sector is not just another business sector.
This approach is built on two pillars, two plans which go hand in hand: the European Democracy Action Plan and the Media and Audiovisual Action Plan.
Let me start with the European Democracy Action and in particular two initiatives that are close to my heart.
First, on the safety of journalists: the murder of Greek journalist Giorgos Karaivaz on 9 April 2021 confirmed how serious the situation is.
In Germany, concerns have been growing about the safety of journalists, especially when they are covering protests.
The Commission is now preparing a Recommendation to Member States which will outline concrete measures to strengthen the protection of journalists, with a particular attention paid to the threats faced by women journalists.
We need to look into the set-up of hotlines available for journalists, legal and practical support, also when it comes to cybersecurity, training and awareness raising of law enforcement authorities. We will continue, thanks to your support, to fund pilot projects providing legal aid and shelters to journalists.
The Commission will also present this year an initiative on tackling abusive litigation against journalists and rights defenders — the so-called SLAPP cases: strategic lawsuits against public participation.
This issue came to my attention when I visited Malta and talked to the son of Daphne Caruana Galizia. She had 47 such lawsuits pending against her in Malta and abroad at the moment of her assassination. This phenomenon is instrumentalised to silence and put pressure on the media and we need to act on it.
The European Democracy Action includes a series of additional measures, for example funding to support self-regulatory initiatives.
Because transparency and compliance with professional norms and standards are essential for public trust in the media.
Since 2019, the Commission has been co-funding a pilot project on media councils in the digital era, which aims to raise the profile of media self-regulation bodies.
Independent media also play a key role in the fight against disinformation — another objective of the European Democracy Action Plan. About a week ago, on 26 May, published our guidance to strengthen the Code of Practice against disinformation.
A new stronger Code is necessary as we need online platforms and other players to address the systemic risks of their services and algorithmic amplification, stop policing themselves alone and stop allowing to make money on disinformation. We need stronger action while fully preserving the freedom of speech.
We will complement this approach in November when we will adopt legislation to improve the transparency of political advertising.
The other pillar of our approach to support journalists and the media sector is the Media and Audiovisual Action Plan. It is our roadmap for the recovery and digital transformation of the media sector.
The Plan has a focus on series of relevant funding opportunities.
Let me mention a few of these actions:
First, Creative Europe. For the first time ever, we have a funding envelope dedicated to media pluralism and media literacy. It will notably provide support for journalistic partnerships in the form of grants.
We will also continue to support investigative journalism via pilot projects.
No later than yesterday, the International Press Institute, in cooperation with the European Journalism Centre and the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, opened two new calls for cross-border investigative journalism projects, for a total of EUR 1.1 million.
Thanks to EU funding, the so-called “Investigative Journalism for Europe” fund will provide grants up to €50,000 to cross-border teams, and also put forward a dedicated scheme for freelancers.
The Commission will also make the most of programmes such as Horizon Europe, for research and innovation, and Digital Europe, for data infrastructure and digital skills.
We are also working now on a NEWS pilot project with foundations and other private partners. Access to loans will be backed by the InvestEU guarantee. It is a continuation of the current successful guarantee facility for SMEs in the cultural and creative sectors, including news media.
At the same time, we have encouraged Member States to invest in media. Under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, each national plan should earmark a minimum level of 20% of expenditure for digital. Measures to boost the production and distribution of digital content, such as digital media, count towards this target. We insisted this should be done in a way that respects and promotes the independence of the media. We are now assessing the plans, including Germany’s.
We will continuously discuss the needs of the media sector and build an innovation agenda with stakeholders under the European News Media Forum.
In parallel to this new area of work, we will watch closely the implementation of key rules, such as our modernised copyright framework and the revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive.
In both cases, we want to bring more fairness in the online world.
And we need to continue striving for a level playing field — this is also the aim of the new Digital Services and Digital Markets Acts. They address the powerful, too powerful, role of online platforms — which in many ways put independent media at a disadvantage.
All these initiatives are closely interlinked and reinforce each other: the stronger the economic situation of the media is, the easier it is to resist political pressure, hold those in power to account and be the watchdogs of democracy.
Our priority now is to turn plans into actions. I am convinced they will create a healthier and better environment for the media across the EU.
But at the same time, we need to address worrying developments as they arise. Several issues were analysed and presented in our first rule of law report — that I mentioned earlier. This report constitutes a preventive stream of our work.
It allows us to compare the situation between different Member States and have a proper debate. The next report will be published in July 2021, and while the process is still ongoing, I can share some impressions regarding in particular the situation in Germany.
As you can imagine, across the EU, including Germany, we have indicators pointing to economic hardship affecting media houses and individual journalists.
We have also taken note of the transposition of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive in Germany. In particular, the new State Media Treaty (Medienstaatsvertrag) and its provisions on media intermediaries, media platforms and user interfaces, show how media regulation keeps being extended to the online sphere.
On the other hand, as I already mentioned, we reported on concerns regarding the safety of journalists. This shows we all need to keep up our efforts, both in Germany and in the EU as a whole, to make sure we can face current challenges.
Let me assure you that I do not hesitate to react and contact the authorities when I see worrying developments. And the Commission does not hesitate to act, as the Guardian of EU law, when there are issues about the compliance of national laws or decisions with EU rules. I think for example about Klubrádió which was denied renewal of its licence in Hungary. We are now analysing the compliance of the latest decisions of the Hungarian Media Council with EU law, in particular EU telecoms rules.
However, the reality is that, at EU level, our current tools are not sufficient to address attacks against independent media.
I am determined to strengthen media pluralism, freedom and independence within the EU, including via a potential legislative tool, a Media Freedom Act.
It will be a next regulatory step in strengthening the EU media framework. We need to address the fact that media actors play a crucial role in our society. The media sector has its own specificities and it cannot be treated as other businesses. The media sector, and perhaps even more so the public service media, must be at the service of all citizens and not one party.
The starting point for this action will be the revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive, in particular the standards it sets on the independence of regulators.
With this new tool, we aim to propose a mechanism to increase transparency, independence and accountability around actions affecting control and editorial independence of media and media pluralism.
We also need to send a strong message that public service media have a special role.
Of course we will also listen to all relevant stakeholders along this process, in order to develop the right instrument to safeguard media pluralism and media freedom.
Ladies and gentlemen,
German journalist Carl von Ossietzky, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1935, said: “Where a dictatorial rule tries to prevent ideas from being expressed, shaped, written down and disseminated, there will soon be putrefaction, the smell of a cemetery”.
In 2021, we witnessed the hijacking of a plane by Belarusian authorities to prevent a journalist, Raman Pratasevich, from expressing his ideas.
This shows how far, still today, a dictatorship can go to silence a critical voice.
This should be a wake-up call for the European Union to defend its values, within and outside its borders.
Thank you.
