1.

Addresses the following recommendations to the Council, the Commission and the European External Action Service: (a) to understand the importance of free European media, and in particular of financially sustainable and independent public service broadcasting, in promoting EU democratic values and informing the public about policies and goals in the sphere of the CFSP, notably by enhancing understanding of the issues that unite and divide Europe and bringing European citizens closer together as regards their understanding of foreign policy; (b) to establish a coherent and robust EU media broadcasting strategy in the context of the EU’s external relations, thereby promoting freedom of expression and media pluralism and upholding and strengthening democracy and human rights in Europe and in third countries; to make this broadcasting strategy an integrated tool of the CFSP; c) to define, as part of this strategy, a specific approach to European broadcasting media — notwithstanding the independence of the media and the competence of Member States to confer, define and organise the public service broadcasting remit — which: (i) fosters an enabling media environment in third countries for the development of independent and professional broadcasting media; (ii) encourages European media broadcasting internationally to: — operate in a pluralistic and competitive media environment — having immediate access to first-hand current news, being able to make use of the advantages of the latest technologies and staying at the forefront of the digital revolution — and create authentic and diversified content; — be editorially independent; — adhere to a broadcasting charter requiring accurate and objective news coverage and a balanced and comprehensive projection of the diversity of the EU and its Member States, to adhere to a journalistic code with a special emphasis on policies aimed at guaranteeing journalistic independence, accuracy and balance, and in this respect to establish their own independent codes of conduct and to define editorial lines; — offer a platform for the exchange of opinions and debate pertaining to socially and/or politically relevant issues, thus leading and shaping the debate from a European perspective, thanks to a wide network of correspondents, and stimulating public interest and participation by citizens; — use the various methods of broadcasting news and opinion programmes, including TV, radio, the internet, online broadcasting, the social media and mobile platforms, in order to ensure the broadest possible outreach to public audiences outside the EU; — reflect appropriately the diversity of opinions and contexts in the EU, including the views and realities of the newer Member States; — be active in training future leading European and non-European journalists; — not be afraid of tackling serious issues in depth and presenting the objective reality from multiple perspectives; (d) to consider that Euronews, with its broad network of national broadcasters and its wide distribution, has the potential to play an important role in the media landscape and in stimulating the debate on Europe, including in third countries; to acknowledge also, however, that in order to play such a role Euronews should: (i) have the means to continue to operate in various languages, including non-European languages; (ii) continue to strive to strengthen its editorial independence; (iii) have the means to promote education and training opportunities for journalists in connection with European issues, and to continue to offer training opportunities for external journalists, especially through its Euronews Network project; (iv) be further strengthened financially and structurally in order to be able to perform at a level comparable to that of worldwide news channels; (v) publish on its website an overview of its revenue so as to provide transparency of its operations; (e) to direct project-based EU external aid funding towards those broadcasters that already respect and work in accordance with the highest standards of journalistic independence, accuracy and balance and promote EU values, as well as to projects which would enable those broadcasters that lag behind in terms of independence, accuracy and sustainability to reach these standards, bearing in mind that evaluation of performance on the basis of measurable criteria should be a precondition for any further funding; (f) to launch a reflection process at EU level with the aim of establishing a worldwide European radio service; (g) to systematically address, in order to maximise the impact of the proposed EU broadcasting strategy in the context of the EU’s external relations, the issue of restrictions on media freedom in all bilateral meetings with the relevant third countries; (h) to raise the Member States’ awareness of the importance of broadcasting media for the EU’s external relations, and to seek ways to coordinate the proposed EU strategy with Member States’ actions and strategies in this field in order to enhance coherence; (i) to work towards the creation of an enabling media environment in third countries, along with the development of independent and professional broadcasting media; (j) to react swiftly when satellite signals from European media broadcasting internationally are jammed in third countries, and when third-country governments suspend broadcasting by European media;