CMPF’s contribution to the call for evidence on the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA)

Abstract

The European Commission announced in 2021 its will to draft a European Media Freedom Act (EMFA); in January 2022, it opened a public consultation in this regard. This technical report is the contribution to such consultation by the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom of the European University Institute. It welcomes the Commission’s initiative, outlining the key challenges and needs for media pluralism, especially with a view to (i) safeguarding media independence and pluralism in the EU, with a special view to journalists’ physical and economic safety; (ii) guaranteeing transparency and viability of the and media markets; (iii) guaranteeing a fair allocation of state resources in the Member States. Finally, this contribution proposes a set of governance options that EMFA could envisage in order to implement institutional cooperation, greater data transparency, and guaranteeing media pluralism in the context of potential concentration of media power.