No C 62/26 Official Journal of the European Communities 12. 3. 90 
2.2. Article 2.2.(a) 
Here we have reference to two instruments which are not 
even available as proposals. No meaningful comment 
therefore is possible at this stage. 
2.3. Article 3 
This refers to requirements of COM(89) 492. The remarks 
under 2.1 apply here too. 
Done at Brussels, 20 December 1989. 
1. Introduction 
1.1. Given the importance of the specific and complex 
problems which today face the EC and the individual 
Member States in some areas of cultural activity, the 
Economic and Social Committee has felt it useful 'to 
prepare a follow-up Opinion on the European cultural 
(J) OJ No C 175, 4. 7. 1988. 2.4. Annex, Chapter II, 3(a) 
There should be a time limit for storage at 7°C. For storage 
beyond that limit, the material must be frozen. 
2.5. Annex, Chapter II, 3(b) 
The present wording is unclear and should be changed to: 
'... within 12 hours after midnight of the day of 
slaughter'. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Alberto MASPRONE 
area, with a view especially to giving a closer look at the 
media and the promotion of the European audio-visual 
industry.... Such an additional Opinion might consider the 
role of television as a cultural and educational instrument 
and the consequences and risks that the development of 
new technologies in this domain could incur'. This Opinion 
therefore proposes to examine the 'cultural area' and the 
'social consequences related to technological developments 
in the television and audio-visual sectors', sectors which in 
business terms should account for about ECU 15 billion in 
the run-up to 1992 (Commission estimates), and where for Additional opinion on a fresh boost for culture in the European Community 
(90/C 62/12) 
Procedure 
At the Plenary Session on 28 April 1988, the ESC Opinion on the Commission Communication on a 
fresh boost for culture was adopted by an overwhelming majority (*). 
In view of the fact that there had been little time to prepare this Opinion, on 27 September 1988 the 
Bureau of the Economic and Social Committee proposed, under the third paragraph of Article 20 of 
the Rules of Procedure, that an additional Opinion should be drawn up on European culture. 
The Section for Social, Family, Educational and Cultural Affairs, which was responsible for 
preparing the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its Opinion on 9 November 1989. The 
Rapporteur was Mrs Rangoni-Machiavelli and the Co-Rapporteur Mr Noordwal. 
At its 272nd Plenary Session (meeting of 20 December 1989) the Committee adopted the following 
Opinion by a substantial majority, with one dissenting vote and two abstentions: 
12. 3. 90 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 62/27 
example $1 billion worth of United States' films and 
television shows transmitted each year on Europe's 
television are at stake. 
This Opinion also takes as its starting point an understand­
ing of human rights in the field of culture, information and 
communications which recognizes the following essential 
prerequisites for democracy in the EC: 
— freedom of expression ; 
— open access to information; 
— freedom of the press; 
—- plurality of cultures. 
1.2. It should be noted that the Committee has 
registered a major interest in Community progress in the 
cultural/audio-visual area, and has already issued a 
number of Opinions on 'television without frontiers' ('), of 
which the following serves as an introductory synthesis: 
— european cultural diversity, with its manifold charac­
teristics is part of Europe's rich heritage; 
— european television programmes could be promoted 
while also maintaining the cultural identity and the 
national structure of the media; 
— the European audio-visual industry offers important 
opportunities to export high-level products of European 
culture; 
— the promotion of European programmes need not take 
the form of uniform, but rather of flexible and 
adaptable quotas, which should not be viewed in terms 
of the national identity of the programmes, but in terms 
of promoting the production of television programmes 
within the Community; 
— the co-existence of broadcasting stations of differing 
status, e.g. public and private, can ensure a measure of 
cultural pluralism; 
— legislative and administrative measures in the broad­
casting field should aim to avoid arrangements 
(') See, for example: the ESC own-initiative Opinion on the Green 
Paper on the Establishment of the Common Market for 
Broadcasting, especially by Satellite and Cable (OJ No C 303, 
25. 11. 1985) plus Opinions on the proposal for a Council 
Directive on the Coordination of Certain Provisions laid down 
by Law, Regulation, or Administrative Action in Member 
States concerning the Pursuit of Broadcasting Activities (OJ No 
C 232, 31.8.1987), together with the Additonal Opinion (doc. 
CES 572/89 of 27 April 1984), and the Opinion on the Proposal 
for a Council Decision on High Definition Television (doc. 
CES 557/89 of 26 April 1989). conducive to the creation of a dominant opinion-
forming power; 
— a European public body with transnational responsibi­
lities in the field of broadcasting should be set up; 
— a quantitative advertisement threshold should be fixed; 
— a comprehensive EC proposal, regulating copyright in 
the Community and providing a guarantee for acquired 
rights, is needed, based on the principle of contractual 
agreement rather than statutory licence; 
— extra jobs created in the new media will not be sufficient 
to offset the losses in traditional media, and that the 
overall number of jobs in the media sector will fall in so 
far as mergers and multi-media concerns come into 
existence; 
— the Commission has not given sufficient consideration 
to this point and ought to carry out further studies in 
this area in order, if necessary, to propose employment 
and training measures to combat any possible negative 
effects. 
1.3. The Committee notes with approval that progress 
has been made in some, though not all, of these fields 
during the 'European Cinema and Television Year' (1988). 
Financing almost 100 short-term and long-term projects in 
the 25 European nations taking part, the ECTVY was 
active in every audio-visual field, helping to promote: 
— a standard for European high definition television 
(hdtv) — a sector bound to assume key importance, e.g. 
from the angle of international competition, where care 
must be taken to avoid protectionism in any form; 
— new European prizes, rewarding creations, produc­
tions, films, etc.; 
— television magazines and documentaries depicting the 
features of Europe's cultural identity; 
— european cartoons for children; 
— improvements in broadcasting circuits; 
— production of minority language films; 
— the setting-up of a European Fund for Audio-visual 
Multilinguism; 
— improvements in professional training (training of 
teachers, European cinema and television schools, new 
No C 62/28 Official Journal of the European Communities 12. 3. 90 
technologies and the picture, workshop on script-
writing, etc.); 
— the drawing-up in September 1988 of the 'Delphi 
Declaration' and the subsequent 'Audio-Visual Charter' 
signed by the ECTVY Committee and the European 
Federation of Audio-Visual Producers (EFAP) with the 
view to improving European audio-visual creation and 
the legal recognition of authors' and creators' rights. 
1.3.1. At the end of the ECTVY, the legal environment 
for European media was given a substantial boost by the 
adoption in March 1989 of the Council of Europe's 
'European Convention on Transfrontier Television' in 
which Member States: 
— reaffirmed their commitment to the principles of the 
free flow of information and ideas and the independence 
of broadcasters; 
— affirmed the importance of broadcasting for the 
development of culture and the free formation of 
opinions in conditions safeguarding pluralism and 
equality of opportunity; 
— stressed the need to present an increasing range of 
choice, enhancing Europe's heritage and developing its 
audio-visual creation; 
— recognized the need to consolidate the common broad 
framework of regulation, notably as regards the 
responsibilities of the broadcaster: 
— not to present indecent, violent or racist material, 
— to reserve for European works a majority proportion 
of their transmission time, 
— to abide by general standards on the duration, 
presentation, form and insertion of advertisements, 
— to monitor the content and quality of advertising, 
with particular reference to information, education 
and consumer protection; 
— and consequently set up a European Standing Commit­
tee 0) in order to monitor, arbitrate over and, should 
circumstances so require, amend the Convention. 
(]) Each pary (i.e. Member State of the Council of Europe) may be 
represented on the Standing Committee by one or more 
delegates. Each delegation shall have one vote. Within the areas 
of its competence, the European Community shall exercise its 
right to vote with a number of votes equal to the number of its 
Member States which are parties to this Convention; the 
European Community shall not exercise its right to vote in 
cases where the Member States concerned exercise theirs, and 
conversely. ['European Convention on Transfrontier Tele­
vision', Council of Europe, Strasbourg, 16 March 1989, DH-
MM(89)1]. The Committee would urge all Member States to ratify the 
Convention as soon as possible. 
1.3.2. European Community policy in its stricter sense 
has also seen the 'EUREKA' audiovisual project launched 
by the Rhodes Summit, and agreement has been reached, in 
no small part due to the argument advanced by the 
Committee, on the 'television without frontiers' 
Directive (2), recently adopted in the aftermath of the Paris 
'Audio-Visual Assizes', and which must be applied by 
October 1991. The Directive entails a political if not a legal 
commitment to devote a majority of air-time to European-
made programmes (barring news and sport). It also 
establishes guidelines for banning pornography, scenes of 
gratuitous violence and cigarette and tobacco advertising. 
Under the same guidelines, advertising slots would be 
limited to no more than 15 % of daily programming or 
20 % of any one hour, news bulletins of under 30 minutes 
would not be interrupted by commercial breaks, and 
feature films would only be allowed to include two breaks 
in their first 90 minutes. The Directive also prevents any EC 
country banning television programmes from another 
Member State, providing they meet widely accepted levels 
of decency and programming standards. 
It is also worth noting that at the 'Audio-Visual Assizes' 
President Delors pledged an additional ECU 250 million 
over the next five years to promote European research and 
collaboration in European television production and 
technology. 
1.4. A general starting point for the current Opinion has 
therefore already been fixed. As far as the cultural and 
social aspects of media policy in Europe are concerned, a 
few more basic reference and guiding points need to be 
stressed: 
1.4.1. As stressed in the earlier Opinion on a fresh boost 
for culture, and with references to the UNESCO definition, 
'culture may be defined as the combined spiritual, material, 
intellectual and emotional characteristics of a society or 
social group' (3). 
1.4.2. Culture is seen as a dynamic, evolutive enrich­
ment of daily life. The European Community dimension 
has and can continue significantly to contribute to this, not 
in any perceived 'identikit' fashion, but through the 
(2) OJ No L 298, 17. 10. 1989, p. 23. 
(3) OJ No C 175, 4. 7. 1988, op. at., pt. 2.2. It should be stressed 
that this is the UNESCO 'Decade in Culture'. 
12. 3. 90 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 62/29 
harmony upon which diversity thrives, through increased 
contact, comparison and mixing, and the identification 
both of different cultural traditions and of common uniting 
principles, of mutual understanding and the elimination of 
prejudices between peoples. The European 'cultural model' 
is not all exclusive, still less a 'melting pot', but rather a 
multi-various, multi-ethnical plurality of culture, the sum 
total of which enriches each individual culture. The 
European 'cultural model' serves not as a 'fortress' but as 
an open springboard towards other cultures both throug­
hout the Community and throughout the world. 
1.4.3. The Committee considers that the European 
Community is competent in policy spheres relating to 
culture. Community competence, as prescribed in the 
Treaty, is based on: 
— the free movement of cultural goods and services 
(Articles 8a, 59, 60); 
— the free movement of cultural sector workers (Articles 
48 to 52); 
— improving the living and working conditions of workers 
in the cultural sector (Articles 117/118); 
— improving the employment opportunities and training 
of workers in the cultural sector, notably through the 
European Social Fund (Articles 123 to 128); 
— promoting overall harmonious development and 
strengthening of social cohesion, including the pro­
motion of cultural activities and new jobs in the cultural 
sector throughout the regions of the Community 
[Article 130 (a) to (e)]; 
— creating an ever closer union among the peoples of 
Europe (Preamble), including therefore closer cultural 
ties. 
1.5. Indeed, as we move towards the creation of a 
'People's Europe', improved access for everybody to the 
cultural resources of the Member States should be a clear 
Community priority 0). A genuine European audio-visual 
policy is a crucial and integral part of such a European 
'cultural area', with all the societal questions this raises as 
regards citizens' rights and consumer needs and the labour 
market, training and employment conditions involved. The 
next two chapters of this Opinion will attempt to review 
some of the key challenges arising. 
(!) See Programme of the Commission for 1989, pages 74 to 76: 
'Culture and the Audiovisual Sector'. 2. Cultural aspects of media policy 
2.1. Television as an instrument of culture and edu­
cation 
Television is neither intrinsically good nor bad; it depends 
on how it is used. Its introduction and spread has from the 
start been accompanied by many hopes and fears in the 
cultural, educational and information fields, and as regards 
leisure time. 
2.1.1. Television has already rendered politics, culture 
and education more democratic and accessible, enabling 
people to participate and form opinions. It is now possible 
for virtually everyone to obtain a wide and growing range 
of services and information required visually and in his or 
her own home as well as take part in interactive TV, 
'phone-ins', 'points of view programmes', etc. This means, 
inter alia: 
— for the housebound: contact with society and escape 
from loneliness; 
— for nightworkers: a similar contact with daily society; 
— for children: access to entertainment, stories, edu­
cational programmes and learning on a scale which goes 
far beyond anything they can experience directly; 
— for people in the countryside: a window on the world, 
and contact with modern developments; 
— for the tired: entertainment, relaxation and recuper­
ation from work; 
— for the curious : the opportunity to seek out all kinds of 
information; 
— for those eager to learn: all kinds of further education 
possibilities, such as open learning, foreign languages, 
other cultures, new technologies, etc.; 
— for migrant workers and ethnic minority citizens: help 
both in becoming integrated and in maintaining links 
with their countries of origins and traditions; 
— for all: information, culture and entertainment, 
television ideally providing a world-wide scale of 
information and knowledge enabling people to par­
ticipate in and discuss major problems of the time, such 
as environmental protection, scarcity of resources, 
population growth, new diseases, dangers of tech­
nology, genetic engineering, etc. 
2.1.2. On the other hand, these positive possibilities of 
television and its use are also accompanied by many risks: 
— Human communication can be impoverished and tends 
to be replaced by technical communication. Television 
alleviates loneliness, but may also foster it. 
No C 62/30 Official Journal of the European Communities 12. 3. 90 
— Family and community life may suffer. 
— Experience of the word may be acquired at second hand. 
Direct sensory experience can be diminished, even to the 
extent that children (and not only children) are 
sometimes unable to distinguish reality from the visual 
representations. 
— TV may induce viewers to read, though many current 
programmes have also led to the loss of reading, 
particularly among the young, resulting perhaps in 
more illiteracy. Conversely, reading increases the 
capacity of children to comprehend television program­
mes. 
— The moral and ethical development of children and 
young people is endangered by gratuitous scenes of sex 
and violence on TV and particularly (more recently) on 
videos. 
— People become manipulable when they have no means 
of checking the truth of the information given them 
through television: for exemple, most people's know­
ledge of politics is derived solely from television; 
adverts can likewise be a source of manipulation. 
— The reality of the media is an interpreted reality, often 
adapted to provide the maximum entertainment of 
sensational value. 
This latter form of presentation fascinates people, and 
ensures commercial success for the media consortiums. 
Power over the media, which influence or indeed mould our 
opinions, risks being concentrated in fewer and fewer 
commercial hands. A more accountable and democratic 
system must be brought in to counter this tendency. 
Equality of opportunity, participation by citizens and 
consumers, and respect for minority rights must be the 
aims. 
2.1.3. In all this, inevitable questions arise as to: 
— Who decides what is or is not in the public interest ? 
— What criteria should be set as guidelines ? 
— To whom should a regulatory authority be responsible ? 
— How could standards be operable and effective at 
transnational level? 
The Committee does not pretend to have all the answers to 
such questions. It approvingly notes, nonetheless, that the 
Council of Europe's 'Standing Committee' on transfrontier 
television (see point 1.3.1) is a welcome step in the right 
direction. However, given the revolutionary technological 
progress in the field of commercial broadcasting by satellite or by cable, such official measures of international 
cooperation in the setting of standards and access are 
important but relative. In the final event, much will rest on 
indivudual responsibility and on the 'consumer's' ability to 
choose and, if necessary, 'switch off. Likewise, parental 
and societal responsibilities will also need to be exercised 
with more discretion and vigour. The recent French High 
Audiovisual Council Directive on the protection of 
children and adolescents in TV programming by public and 
private services is a useful reference guideline in this 
connection. Clearly, therefore, in addition and integral to 
official standards being set, is the need to help educate the 
consumer and ensure more choice and awareness through 
information and participation, both as regards the 
establishment, composition and accountability of re­
gulatory bodies and as regards the expression of viewing 
preferences (majority and minority) in general. Press 
freedom and more open access to information are also of 
vital importance in order to ensure such awareness, choice 
and plurality of view. 
2.2. Preservation and development of Europe's cultural 
heritage 
2.2.1. Society as a whole, including political, social and 
economic groups and a growing sector of public opinion is 
worried about the fact that American programmes are 
gaining a steadily increasing share of the European 
television market sometimes through 'commercial dum­
ping' techniques. There is legitimate concern that the result 
will be a loss of cultural identity and diversity in the 
countries and regions of Europe. 
2.2.2. New distribution networks and long-range 
transmission will virtually double the number of program­
mes shown on European television screens by the year 
2000. The most immediate and rapid facility would be to 
import or broadcast cheap American, Japanese or other 
programmes. The Committee would once again stress that 
a qualitative alternative would be to offer positive support 
for the rich diversity of indigenous European programmes, 
for example through a minimum percentage of 'European' 
air-time, through flexible quota systems, through viewer-
led 'quality' grading techniques and through fiscal 
incentives for transfrontier productions. 
It is also important to use peak viewing times in order to 
transmit programmes of higher cultural value. 
2.2.3. In any event, European countries need to intensify 
cooperation at all possible levels so that a larger number of 
12. 3. 90 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 62/31 
programmes can be exchanged, produced and co-pro­
duced. Progress and cooperation in these fields was 
achieved with the ECTVY (see point 1.3). Building on what 
are mainly individual pilot projects, perhaps a more 
widespread and substantial European film sponsorship 
scheme should accordingly be introduced to encourage and 
promote European film and television production. A 
special EC-wide fund might also be set up to encourage 
freelance producers and scriptwriters. Transfrontier co-
productions, e.g. in the form of local programmes beamed 
at areas where several different languages are spoken, 
should also receive support. All such initiatives should 
clearly illustrate the purely cultural and not only commer­
cial benefits arising. 
2.2.4. Quite apart from the beneficial effects on the 
labour market, the establishment and consolidation of 
European television programme industries is essential if the 
cultural diversity of Europe is to be actually reflected in the 
programmes shown on the screen. 
It is generally taken for granted that the system which will 
eventually emerge in most European countries is one where 
public or state-run television broadcasting services exist 
alongside private and commercial television organizations. 
Public-service television broadcasters must be afforded all 
resources and be assured a free flow as well as free access to 
all Member States, so that they can compete with private 
broadcasters and play to their strengths by satisfying 
viewers' demand for top-quality television, whether in the 
form of domestic programmes or co-productions. Should a 
situation develop whereby public or state-run broadcasting 
services merely lay on entertainment on the assumption 
that this is what the general public wants, then the idea of 
broadcasting as a public service would be betrayed and 
those sections of the viewing public interested in intellectu­
ally demanding programmes (whether they be a majority or 
minority), would be abandoned. 
Furthermore, if broadcasting is to do justice to the diversity 
of Europe's culture, then it must itself offer a variety of 
systems and programmes covering all European countries, 
including those belonging to the Council of Europe and 
EFTA as well as those of Eastern Europe. 
Likewise the needs of ethnic minorities living in EC 
countries must also be considered by helping them to 
maintain their own languages and culture, as well as 
participate and integrate in the community in which they 
live. 
Television can also be a powerful factor in maintaining 
regional languages or dialects. 2.3. Promotion of culture in the regions of Europe 
2.3.1. Regional culture (notably live performances) 
cannot be promoted in Europe unless there is the political 
will to do so and unless means are made available from the 
public purse. European-level aid should be provided to top 
up national aid and so help bring regional culture to life in 
all its diversity. 
2.3.2. In the audio-visual sector the media 'workshops' 
to be found in the United Kingdom can serve as a model. 
Such workshops have shown that locally-based and 
initially small-scale projects can have an innovative and 
creative impact on the entire film and television output of a 
given country and beyond. Media workshops and public-
access channels are interesting not only because of the 
unconventional programmes they produce but also because 
of their very reflective practical and theoretical approach to 
the new media. 
The committed work of non-commercial local broadcast­
ing stations in Europe also deserves more attention and 
support since one aspect of 'Europeanization from below' 
is Member States learning about each other's alternative 
media projects. 
2.3.3. Another important aspect of the promotion of 
regional culture in Europe is the fact that some countries 
now place a significantly higher value on culture as a 
whole, judging by the number of exhibitions, festivals, new 
museum buildings, theatre performances and musical 
events of every description going on. Decentralization is 
accordingly of importance and proper attention should be 
paid to cultural cooperation between regions of Europe 
with close historical, linguistic and other cultural ties. 
Exchanges between artists and other creative persons from 
as many fields as possible is also an enriching experience 
and a further step in the direction of cultural cooperation 
(for example, an 'ERASMUS' or 'LINGUA' type exchange 
scheme for cultural students and workers). 
2.3.4. Artists and scientists throughout Europe have 
quite rightly fought against the tendency of the economy to 
increasingly highjack their works and use them as 'vehicles' 
for advertisements. The public has a right to see their works 
in their entirety, and above all without being continually 
interrupted by advertisement. The Committee would once 
again insist on the need for an adequate threshold limit on 
such advertising. 
No C 62/32 Official Journal of the European Communities 12. 3. 90 
2.4. Television: changes in leisure patterns by making programmes available in more than one 
language; 
2.4.1. The leisure time of European citizens is increas­
ing. However, different groups use leisure time in different 
ways. Television plays an important part in the lives of 
older people, the unemployed and low-income groups, 
being a major inexpensive leisure activity. It is in fact the 
most common leisure pursuit in Europe. However, except 
during the Olympic Games, big football matches, etc. and 
for current events of major popular interst, as a rule not 
more than 50 % of the adult population watch television at 
any one time. 
2.4.2. Viewing time is known to increase slightly in 
households with cable TV when more programmes become 
available. There has been little research on the effects of 
increased viewing when new programmes become avail­
able (it consists primarily of additional viewing by children 
in the morning, at lunchtime and in the afternoon). 
2.4.3. Television would appear to be least used by 
young people. They like to spend their leisure time flexibly, 
without being tied to one place, and consequently prefer to 
use portable radios, cassette players and video equipment. by sending out 'lingua franca' programmes. 
2.5.2.1. Programmes geared to specific language areas 
take the form of co-productions of broadcasting organiza­
tions in neighbouring countries where the same language is 
spoken (e.g. the second German television channel, 
Austrian television and the Swiss broadcasting authorities 
all working together to produce programmes for German-
speaking areas). A similar set-up exists in the case of 
French-speaking areas. The only disadvantage of such 
programmes is that they exclude other language areas, not 
to mention minority language groups. 
2.5.2.2. Cross-frontier television programmes ac­
cessible in more than one language are a more sensible 
proposition. Under this approach authentic programme 
material is produced in one country, transmitted in the 
original language and then dubbed or sub-titled in the 
language of the country showing the programme. Despite 
the different languages used, the programme content and 
picture are preserved. Here every care must be taken to 
prevent the deterioration of Community languages. 
2.4.4. Indeed, the ways in which Community citizens 
use their leisure time vary too much from one Member 
State to another for any definite assessment to be made. 
However, it is assumed that television viewing times in the 
various Member States will gradually converge. A 
significant increase in viewing time is to be expected 
particularly in Member States where it is at present below 
average. A maximum rise of 15 % in the average viewing 
time is expected by the year 2000. The average would then 
even out at about two and a half hours a day. Moreover, despite the high level viewing recorded, both 
dubbing and sub-titling have their own disadvantages. 
2.5.2.3. By 'lingua franca' programmes we mean 
commercial programmes broadcast in English. Since 
English has now become a widely understood language of 
communication, English-language broadcasts of a certain 
level can be received throughout Europe. When it comes to 
sport and music, i.e. programmes not tied to any specific 
culture or linguistic comprehension, the situation is 
relatively unproblematic, but efforts to widen cultural and 
linguistic horizons tend to be counter-productive because 
of the extremely low level of the language used. 
2.5. Improving the knowledge of languages 
2.5.1. Every sort of scheme designed to help children, 
young people and adults learn languages is to be welcomed. 
The promotion of translations makes European works of 
literature more widely accessible. The access to so many 
different languages within Europe which European media 
policy and continuing progress in cable TV should provide 
is also a source of cultural enrichment for viewers. 
2.5.2. Language barriers are a major obstacle to 
international media productions. Cross-frontier television 
tackles the problem nonetheless in three different ways: 
— by gearing programmes to specific languages areas: 2.6. Audio-visual means as a form of dialogue with the 
rest of the world 
2.6.1. We must not allow ourselves to forget that the 
problems associated with the East-West dialogue differ in 
kind and emphasis from those associated with the North-
South dialogue. 
2.6.2. In the light of the recent radical changes in Eastern 
Europe, radio and television are assuming a key role in 
East-West dialogue and must shoulder this responsibility. 
12. 3. 90 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 62/33 
Programmes transmitted by direct broadcast satellite 
require proper receiving equipment. The infrastructure for 
this is not yet available in Eastern Europe. 
Nevertheless, since Eastern Bloc countries are now 
increasingly opening their doors to the West and intensive 
cultural exchanges are taking place at many levels, and 
changes in media policy are foreseeable. Indeed bilateral 
agreements in this area have already been established 
between the Council of Europe and Hungary and Poland. 
The 1988 West German-Soviet broadcasting agreement is a 
first step in a whole series of East-West agreements to 
follow. The 1988 agreement pursues 'the objective of 
further developing exchanges in the field of radio and 
television to help increase mutual understanding'. The 
agreement reached between West and East German 
televisions to regularly work together on co-productions is 
also a step in the same direction. Such action also offers 
new opportunities to break down the dependency of West 
European television on American progammes, a situation 
criticized on all sides. 
2.6.3. As far as the North-South dialogue is concerned, 
it is patently obvious that there is a one-sided flow of 
information from North to South. To gradually rectify this 
situation and make it possible to engage in meaningful 
dialogue, the Member States of the European Community 
should start by making funds available so that Third World 
countries can build up their own information systems. For 
developing countries television is not primarily important 
as a medium of entertainment but as an instrument of 
training, education and culture. By developing their 
domestic television systems, developing countries will be 
better able to provide their public with information about 
domestic matters, in addition to producing programmes for 
the European market. Up to the present time the 'flow' of 
programmes has largely been confined to cheap exports of 
films from North to South. This is all developing countries 
are currently able to afford. A two-way flow must be 
encouraged, also in the knowledge that this should help 
widen European horizons and enrich European culture. 
By developing media projects and offering wide-ranging 
support in general (i.e. through such agencies as UNESCO 
and through the Cultural Foundation in Lome IV) we can 
help developing countries from the South produce their 
own programmes and become self-reliant. These countries 
will then be able to participate in the international system 
of cultural exchanges, shape, and gain control over, 
everyday life in their societies, and help bring different 
civilizations closer to home. 2.7. Power and the possible misuse of media and audio­
visual monopolies 
2.7.1. All communication media have a traditional 
function as infrastructure. But recently information and 
communications have themselves become an economic 
good to be traded. It is consequently hardly surprising 
when a hardware firm also starts to take an interest in the 
software market. 
2.7.2. The development of new media has not been 
sparked off by cultural or artistic necessity. Nevertheless, 
since the electronic media have a considerable influence on 
the form and content of our thinking and on our cultural 
life, media moguls are able to exert a hitherto unimaginable 
influence on the nature of public culture. The development 
of huge European media corporations is characterized by a 
tendency to globalization, interdependence and the 
establishment of mixed companies. Wide transmission 
coverage, i.e. international markets, is thus essential if 
television financed by advertising is to be profitable. 
2.7.3. This overall trend poses a threat, however, to the 
cultural diversity of countries in Europe. Communications 
and individual cultures are very sensitive matters which 
cannot simply be handed over to international media 
corporations. International, pan-European television 
programmes seem to many people to be a decisive step 
forward towards loss of cultural identity and crass 
commercialism. Appropriate measures are therefore 
needed to prevent monopolies and control mergers. 
2.7.4. In the case of commercial television or channels 
financed by advertising, the production of programmes for 
huge international markets will naturally be based purely 
on narrow economic considerations. Such considerations 
will lead to the rationalization of work routines and 
gradually alter the career profile of the media worker. Such 
a trend can only be countered by insisting on high 
professional standards and ethics in the media world. 
3. Social consequences of media policy 
3.1. Labour market and employment 
3.1.1. The rapid increase in recent years in broad­
casting demand and capacity throughout the Com-
No C 62/34 Official Journal of the European Communities 12. 3. 90 
munity (!), particularly through the multiplication of 
channels through satellites and cable networks, has not led 
to any noticeable increase in European audio-visual 
production. Job-wise, audio-visual production in the EC 
accounts for only 1,8 % of total manufacturing employ­
ment and features amongst the 'sensitive' industrial sectors 
prone to radical structural changes in the run-up to and 
aftermath of 1992 (2). There is a clear need for adequate 
EC-wide employment statistics for the audio-visual sector 
as a whole. This could be a task of the proposed European 
Employment Observatory. 
3.1.2. Indeed, the mass media as a whole in Europe — 
publishing, press, electronic media, broadcasting, film 
production and distribution — is already in the midst of a 
revolution inspired by rapid developments in technology 
and economic restructuring. Developments such as 
digitization, miniaturization or glass-fibre and satellite 
transmission have resulted in entire occupational groups 
disappearing (3). Tasks which have hitherto been carried 
out by various specialists are now being accomplished in 
one single operation. The development of mechanical 
recording techniques, television, satellites, video-cassettes, 
cable networks, cross-frontier television, etc., has also 
undoubtedly been a major cause in the decline of the 
{l) The demand for programme-hours is taken to be 500 000 per 
annum. On the basis of several estimates this represents a 
doubling of the 1987 figure of 250 000 programme-hours. 
Sources: Television Task Force, Manchester 1988; Frost and 
Sullivan 1987; Prognos Basel 1988. 
(2) Employment in Europe 1989, European Commission DG V, 
page 65. It is estimated that orders for programmes from the 
public television services will decrease by 20 to 40 % in the 
1990s. It would appear that this gap will not be filled by private 
companies. US productions account for 33 % of private station 
broadcasts (11 % for public channels), the rest is made up of 
other bought programmes, feature films and repeats. Where 
these stations do produce their own programmes, they are one 
third cheaper than those produced by the public channels 
(according to the production companies). 
(3) The new broadcasting policy has resulted in the following 
situation: the 15 public TV services in all the EC Member 
States are the No 1 employers with a total of 85 000 working in 
television. In contrast, the 11 new channels which broadcast 
only via satellite and cable employ merely approximately 700. 
The 10 national commercial channels in the EC, which can be 
received terrestrially, have a total workforce of 6 000 
(excluding ITV). The policy of deregulation in the EC has 
resulted in 21 new channels, creating a total of 4 000 new jobs 
(TF1 excluded). performing profession. Indeed, the word-wide electronic 
revolution has led to a steady decline in the number of 
performers, accompanied by an increase in unemployment 
rates for those remaining in the profession. Accompanying 
this is the unleashing of a new generation of transnational 
media corporations, often linked to larger groups outside 
the media sector and integrated into the same corporate 
business and information strategy. At the same time, a 
notable increase in 'freelance' media activity (i.e. without 
staff status, usually for a number of different employers 
and often without social insurance cover and mostly 
subject to individual bargaining arrangements), has been 
registered throughout the Community (4). It is ques­
tionable if national labour laws are competent to deal with 
the changing nature of employment in this sector. This 
should be studied by the relevant EC authorities. 
3.1.3. Such developments have social consequences 
which clearly need to be addressed: 
— First, the conglomeration of power constituted by 
multimedia transnational consortiums could pose a 
serious threat to market equilibrium, freedom of 
information, cultural pluralism and professional stan­
dards. The Committee would therefore urge the 
Commission to consider setting down more clearly the 
limits to cross-ownership and media monopolization, 
notably through measures requiring transparency of 
financial transactions and the full disclosure of global 
holdings. A European Media Observatory could also be 
set up in order to monitor and put a brake on such 
economic concentrations, and to help promote and 
ensure freedom of information and cultural pluralism. 
— Accompanying EC measures and guidelines are also 
needed in order to guarantee minimum protection for 
professional standards, ethics, editorial autonomy and 
freedom of conscience for all journalists, workers and 
employees involved in the media including, for example, 
the confidentiality of sources. (Increasingly journalists 
are under pressure to departs from professional 
(4) See 'Freelances' a world-wide survey, International Federation 
of Journalists, information No XXXVI 1987/1988. 
12. 3. 90 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 62/35 
conduct, either to satisfy their employer's advertising or 
circulation interests or because of state pressure) (x). 
— EC instruments are also needed in order to ensure that 
basic collective contractual rights and social insurance 
cover are maintained or made available, and that 
transnational corporations respect existing acquired 
rights and international labour conventions. 
— The Commission should give immediate attention to 
the control of secondary use of recorded material and to 
the overall impact of new technology on art and the 
artists. Recognizing that legislation concerning the 
status of cultural workers, especially performers, in 
most Member States is lagging behind the general 
advances in technology, the development of the media 
of mass communication, the means of mechanical 
reproduction of the work of performers, appropriate 
measures should be taken to ensure that cultural 
industries, benefiting from technological changes, 
especially radio and television organizations and 
mechanical reproduction undertakings, play their part 
in an effort to encourage and stimulate artistic creation, 
by providing new employment opportunities, by 
publicity, by the payment of royalties, or by helping to 
subsidize the production of theatrical performances. 
3.2. Training and further training 
3.2.1. The Committee would once again emphasize the 
urgent need to improve basic and further training both of 
technical and creative staff involved in the media, so as to 
ensure that their skills are relevant to the new standards 
required and technologies involved. It would be essential to 
involve trade unions in determining the contents of their 
training courses. 
3.2.2. The Commission, through ECTVY and other 
programmes, has already promoted concrete measures: 
— to train journalists, and programme producers; 
— to build up a network for cooperation between 
vocational training and further training centres in the 
sector; 
— to provide scholarships for studies and research work; 
— to provide initial and further training in the field of 
picture and sound engineering, etc. 
(*) Information resulting from an international survey. Inter­
national Federation of Journalists. 3.2.3. The Committee would stress the need to promote 
broad-based training programmes capable of adapting to 
changing media needs. The role of the European Vo­
cational Training Centre (CEDEFOP) in preparing 
common 'occupational descriptions' and 'profiles' as a 
'reference framework' for mutually recognized jobs in the 
European media should also be highlighted. 
3.3. Participation 
3.3.1. In all this, account should be taken of the 
constructive role which both workers, directly involved in 
the media industry, and consumers, as recipients of the 
services provided, can play. As the media develops and 
undergoes sweeping technological changes, freely ne­
gotiated contractual solutions, based on proper inform­
ation and consultation and backed by basic social rights, 
offer the best prospects of harmony and change by 
consensus, necessary for the long-term adaptability and 
survival of the European audio-visual industry. 
3.3.2. Such a long-term view must likewise involve a 
more sensitive attachment towards 'responsible', 'loyal' 
viewers, building up a sense of real involvement in and 
allegiance to European stations and programmes. In short a 
new cultural/media 'social dialogue' needs to be instituted 
both at European and other appropriate levels in order to 
promote a healthy, economically-viable and socially-
responsible, modern European audio-visual industry. 
4. Conclusions 
In order to help work toward such a socially-responsible 
modern European audio-visual industry, and having regard 
to the fact that, if it is to be effective, a mass media policy 
needs financial, credit and fiscal policies at national and 
Community level, the Committee would highlight and 
draw the attention of the EC authorities to the following 
points and proposals: 
4.1. The European Convention on Transfrontier Televi­
sion should be ratified by all EC Member States as early as 
possible. 
4.2. Regulatory bodies need to involve the public more, 
both as regards their composition and accountability and 
viewing preferences spurred by more choice and awareness 
of European culture. 
No C 62/36 Official Journal of the European Communities 12. 3. 90 
4.3. Press freedom, freedom of expression and more 
open access to information are of vital importance in order 
to ensure such awareness, choice and plurality of view. 
4.4. A percentage 'European airtime', based on quota 
systems, viewer-led quality grading techniques and fiscal 
incentives must be applied in order to offer positive support 
for the rich diversity of indigenous European programmes. 
4.5. An EC-wide effort must be made in order to ensure 
adequate threshold limits for advertisements and monitor 
their quality and contents (hopefully in .line with the 
percentages indicated in the Council Directive) and also to 
try to regulate commercial breaks in works of cultural 
value, primarily through self-regulation. 
4.6. A more substantial and widespread EC fund should 
be set up to help sponsor European or transfrontier film 
and TV productions, together with similar media work­
shops and public access channels, building on the current 
'MEDIA' and ECTVY funds for audio-visual multi-
linguism. 
4.7. Local broadcasting stations and productions 
catering for the needs and cultures of ethnic minorities 
living in the EC should also be promoted, particularly 
through an integrated programmes approach. 
4.8. Extra aid is needed for gearing programmes to 
specific language areas, for making programmes available 
in more than one language, and for 'lingua franca' 
programmes. 
4.9. Appropriate measures are needed to prevent media 
monopolies and to control media mergers. The Commis­
sion ought to set down more clearly the limits to cross-
ownership and media monopolization, notably through 
Done at Brussels, 20 December 1989. measures requiring transparency of financial transactions 
and disclosure of holdings. 
4.10. A European Media Observatory could be set up to 
monitor and help restrain such economic concentrations, 
and to help promote freedom of information, cultural 
pluralism and equal opportunities as regards training and 
employment. 
4.11. Accompanying EC measures to guarantee mi­
nimum protection for professional standards, ethics, 
editorial autonomy and freedom of conscience for all 
journalists and employees involved in the media are also 
urged. 
4.12. Likewise, EC instruments are needed in order to 
ensure basic collective contractual rights and social 
insurance cover for employees involved in the media, and to 
ensure that transnational corporations respect existing 
acquired rights and relevant international labour conven­
tions. 
4.13. It is essential to involve employees and their trade 
union representatives in determining the contents of new 
media training programmes. 
4.14. The 'social dialogue' needs to be extended to the 
cultural and media sectors, both at European and other 
appropriate levels, involving employees and the public. 
4.15. The Commission should provide EC-wide em­
ployment statistics concerning the cultural audio-visual 
sector. 
4.16. The Committee would urge the Commission and 
other EC institutions and bodies to consider and follow-up 
the proposals made with appropriate actions and initia­
tives. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Commitee 
Alberto MASPRONE