XL - Eiropas Parlaments - Europa
XL - Eiropas Parlaments - Europa
XL - Eiropas Parlaments - Europa
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16-02-2011 115<br />
media law so that it complies with all aspects of EU law that we, the European Commission have raised, including the<br />
concerns raised regarding the Charter of Fundamental Rights.<br />
They assure me that the amendments will be adopted by the Hungarian Government at its next session. The body language<br />
of the representatives of the Hungarian Government gives me the feeling that this is correct and that it will be tabled in the<br />
Hungarian Parliament within the coming days.<br />
The four areas where the Hungarian authorities agreed to amend their law are the following.<br />
Number one: balanced coverage. The amendments agreed would limit the balanced reporting requirements to<br />
broadcasting, as in other Member States, and would no longer apply those requirements to on-demand audiovisual media<br />
services or the written press. Moreover, any restrictions on broadcasters would need to respect the principle of<br />
proportionality. Of course the Commission will monitor the way that principle is translated into secondary law.<br />
I mentioned four areas. The second one is the country-of-origin principle. The amendments agreed would mean that<br />
foreign broadcasters could no longer be fined for breaching the Hungarian media law’s provisions on protection of minors<br />
or incitement to hatred. Instead the Hungarian authorities could suspend transmission of such services on Hungarian<br />
territory, which is in line with the AVMS Directive.<br />
What does that mean? It means that broadcasters legally established and authorised in other Member States, and compliant<br />
with the laws of those countries, would be free to broadcast to Hungary without running the risk of being subject to fines<br />
by Hungarian authorities.<br />
Number three: media registration. The amendments agreed would mean that audiovisual media service providers would<br />
have to register only after they begin offering their services, and that is in line with the directive. It means that audiovisual<br />
media service providers and publishers would no longer be subject to prior authorisation by the Hungarian authorities.<br />
Number four: offensive content. Additionally, the Hungarian Government agreed to amend another provision of its media<br />
law that raised concerns with respect to the freedom of expression. A provision of the media law specified very broadly<br />
that media content may not cause offence, even by implication, to individuals, minorities or majorities. The amendments<br />
agreed would limit the prohibition to discriminatory treatment. Moreover those provisions would no longer apply to media<br />
service providers established in other EU countries.<br />
We will work closely with the Hungarian authorities to make sure that the agreed changes are now adopted into Hungarian<br />
law and applied in practice. We will continue to monitor the situation, but that is quite clear. Needless to say, the<br />
Commission is also verifying the national rules implementing the AVMS Directive in other Member States and will raise<br />
similar concerns where necessary. The Commission does not shy away from using its powers. It does not shy away from<br />
defending media freedom and pluralism when it is needed, and the present case hopefully pre-empts and proves that.<br />
I can assure you that the Commission acknowledges and shares the concerns that many of you and parts of civil society<br />
have about the general state of the media in Europe. I am ready to go further and take action in the matter of media<br />
pluralism within the EU competences, of course respecting subsidiarity.<br />
The Commission not only has a duty, but also a sincere interest, in facilitating the dialogue amongst stakeholders and<br />
policymakers at a European level. The changing structure of the media landscape in Europe causes concern for the future.<br />
It brings opportunities but also wider risks for media pluralism beyond the ownership use. It is quite clear that we need an<br />
approach to measuring media pluralism in a broad sense; one that will bring together legal, economic and social aspects,<br />
rather than treating them quite separately, as has often been the case up until now.<br />
Therefore, I intend to establish a multi-stakeholder group and ask them to address the challenges for the media at present<br />
and in the future, including the situation of media pluralism in Europe. Since you know that I value your input very much,<br />
the European Parliament will be represented in the group of experts, if you will accept that invitation. I will announce<br />
details quite soon. The group will be asked to advise me on the next steps to be taken concerning the media landscape and<br />
I am fully committed to taking concrete action within all the competences that I have.<br />
3-513<br />
Marco Scurria, a nome del gruppo PPE. – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, partecipo alla discussione con un po' di<br />
imbarazzo, perché il Commissario ci ha praticamente detto che è inutile svolgere questo dibattito in quanto manca la<br />
ragione del contendere.<br />
Non ci troveremmo in questa situazione, se gli altri colleghi ci avessero ascoltato quando in precedenti occasioni – riunioni<br />
di commissione e discussioni in quest'Aula – avevamo richiesto di aspettare un po' di tempo visto che in fin dei conti il