A4-0289/97

Resolution on the impact of new technologies upon the press in Europe

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its resolution of 19 September 1996 on Europe and the Global Information Society - Recommendations to the European Council and on a communication from the Commission:'Europe's Way to the Information Society: an action plan' ((OJ C 320, 28.10.1996, p 164.)),

- having regard to its resolution of 16 February 1995 on the G7 Conference on the information society ((OJ C 56, 6.3.1995, p. 97.)),

- having regard to its resolution of 13 March 1997 on the information society, culture and education ((OJ C 115, 14.4.1997, p 151. )),

- having regard to its resolution of 26 June 1997 on the Commission communication to the Council, European Parliament, Economic and Social Committee and Committee of the Regions, 'Learning in the Information Society: action plan for a European education initiative¨ ((Minutes of that sitting, Part II, Item 5(d).));

- having regard to its resolution of 26 June 1997 on the communications from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on 'The Information Society: From Corfu to Dublin, The new emerging priorities' and 'The Implications of the Information Society for European Union Policies - Preparing the next steps' and 'Europe at the Forefront of the Global Information Society: Rolling Action Plan' ((Minutes of that sitting, Part II, Item 5(b).));

- having regard to the Commission's White Paper: 'Growth, Competitiveness and Employment: the challenges and ways forward into the 21st century' (COM(93)0700 - C3-0509/93),

- having regard to the interim report of the High Level Group of Experts 'Building the European Information Society for us all ' (1996),

- having regard to the First Annual Report to the Commission from the Information Society Forum 'Networks for People and their communities - Making the most of the Information Society in the European Union' (1996),

- having regard to European Parliament and Council Directive 97/36/EC of 30 June 1997 amending Council Directive 89/552/EEC on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the pursuit of television broadcasting activities ((OJ L 202, 30.7.1997, p. 60.)),

- having regard to the study, commissioned by DG XIII of the Commission, 'Electronic Publishing - Strategic Developments for the European publishing industry towards the Year 2000' (1996),

- having regard to its resolution of 21 January 1993, on the promotion of books and reading in Europe ((OJ C 42, 15.2.1993, p 182.)),

- having regard to its resolution of 10 June 1997 on the Commission communication on a common system of VAT - a programme for the single market ((Minutes of that sitting, Part II, Item 5(d).)),

- having regard to its resolution of 19 September 1996 on the Commission Green Paper on copyright and related rights in the information society ((OJ C 320, 28.10.1996, p. 177.)),

- having regard to its resolution of 19 September 1996 on the role of public service television in a multi-media society ((OJ C 320, 28.10.1996, p. 180.)),

- having regard to its resolution of 16 September 1992 on media concentration and diversity of opinions ((OJ C 284, 2.11.1992, p. 44.)),

- having regard to its resolution of 20 January 1994 on the Commission Green Paper 'pluralism and media concentration in the internal market' ((OJ C 44, 14.2.1994, p. 177.)),

- having regard to its resolution of 15 June 1995 on pluralism and media concentration ((OJ C 166, 3.7.1995, p. 133.)),

- having regard to the public hearing of the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education and the Media on the impact of new technologies on publishing of 4 June 1996,

- having regard to Article 128(1) and (4) on the EC Treaty, which states that 'the Community shall contribute to the flowering of the cultures of the Member States, while respecting their national and regional diversity and at the same time bringing the common cultural heritage to the fore' and 'shall take cultural aspects into account in its action under other provisions of this Treaty',

- having regard to Rule 148 of its Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education and the Media (A4-0289/97),

A. whereas Europe is progressing very rapidly towards an Information Society which is undoubtedly the shape of the future,

B. whereas this new European society is influenced by, and is developing in tandem with, the market in new technologies, information and communications,

C. whereas these new technologies have already radically changed the communications environment which is now characterized by a technological convergence of telecommunications services, information technology and the audiovisual sector,

D. whereas it is natural that new information technology and telecommunications undertakings have entered the media market at European and international levels and that information is no longer disputed only between traditional publishers, news agencies and radio and television broadcasting services,

E. having regard to the European Parliament's repeatedly-stated position that knowledge, information and culture are not products just like any other commercial product,

F. having regard to the undisputed role which the press has played - and continues to play - in promoting democracy, freedom and human rights,

G. having regard to the positive impact of the new technologies on public information, notably more rapid and extensive access to a greater number of sources of information, interaction between the recipient and the source of the information, the globalization of information, more immediate and more democratic access for citizens to proposals and decisions taken by European, national and regional authorities and the easier participation of citizens in the decision-making process,

H. having regard, however, to the concerns expressed by Parliament in the past regarding the new communications environment, notably the deluge of information and news which is not always sufficiently evaluated or processed and whose source is not always established, the danger of the marginalization - even temporary - of certain social groups which are not yet sufficiently familiar with the new technologies or do not have equal access opportunities to them, the dominance of the networks by products that are predominantly commercial in character at the expense of products which express Europe's multilingual and multidimensional cultural identity and heritage and, finally, a tendency towards human isolation,

I. whereas a combination of the various new and traditional means of communication in a complementary fashion may lead to comprehensive and global information,

J. having regard to the special role the press can and should continue to play, in addition to the new communications potential offered by the new electronic media and the new technologies, particularly in strengthening and encouraging a public debate, controlling political power on a daily and periodical basis, providing (signed) critical analyses of news coverage and events and coverage of matters concerning social and cultural minorities, fostering linguistic pluralism, creating communities of readers and educating young people and citizens,

K. whereas the habit of reading lies at the very heart of European culture, and forms the basis of efforts to educate modern citizens within European society,

L. having regard to the falling circulation figures of the press and the decline in the number of press publications in most European countries over the last few years, with the exception of a number of special-interest periodicals,

M. having regard to the enormous printing, distribution and labour costs which newspapers and periodicals continue to face on the one hand and, on the other hand, the distinctly lower costs faced by on-line information services, owing to the digitalization of information, the microscopic costs of the production and distribution of information and the broader scope for providing flexible and 'cheaper' forms of work (freelance, part-time, telework, home work, etc.),

N. whereas the continuing flow of national and Community aid to promote the use of new electronic technologies and the development of information technologies and multimedia services might mean in some cases even stiffer competition for the traditional written media and news agencies,

O. whereas the fact that the traditional European publishing industry and the European news agencies have already invested in electronic editions is to be welcomed, since they are ideally suited to feed the networks with worthwhile material,

P. whereas, although in 1996 there were some 500 European on-line titles, they have yet to make any notable profit - or any profit at all - from this enterprise and whereas it is therefore to be hoped that these investments will prove more productive in future,

Q. whereas, in a bid to compete with the audiovisual media in particular, a section of the press has, over the last few years, resorted to photojournalism, sensationalist methods, intrusive coverage of private life and circulation-boosting gimmicks such as vouchers, free copies, etc., all of which have had adverse affects on quality reportage,

R. having regard to the fall in most European countries since 1980 in the share of advertising investment enjoyed by the press, the corresponding increase in advertising investment in the audiovisual media; whereas on-line information services are now breaking into the advertising market (mainly in the sector of car, real estate and job-advertising),

S. whereas the rules governing radio and television advertising time adopted as part of Directive 97/36/EC mentioned above are not being strictly implemented in all Member States,

T. whereas, if journalists wish to keep their jobs or switch to other jobs in the new information services, they must possess additional qualifications and knowledge concerning the use, the potential and the methods of the new technologies and on-line services,

U. whereas, in their work, journalists continue to have a responsibility to provide reliable and quality information and, in today's communications environment, it is even more important that journalists operate in accordance with a code of ethical practice,

V. whereas the more flexible types of employment for journalists, and particularly those working in the new information services (for instance, part time, teleworking and freelance contracts, etc.), differ from traditional labour contracts and existing conditions of professional employment mainly from the point of view of the working environment, social security, working hours etc.,

W. whereas, given the repeated use of information by various media, journalists in the new communications environment must continue to enjoy the author's economic and moral rights in accordance with the system of authors' rights that has developed in most European states,

X. whereas the European model for an intellectual property law is the only way of safeguarding the principle of the personal responsibility of the journalist for the content and quality of his work,

Y. whereas it is an essential element of freedom of the press that all titles should have free access to distribution networks and should be treated equally,

Z. whereas the patchwork of different rules obtaining in individual EU Member States governing VAT on the printed media, the purchase of newsprint and reductions in postal, telecommunications and freight charges for the press sometimes creates problems of unfair competition regarding the free circulation of publications within the single market,

AA. whereas the tax relief referred to above was introduced as indirect support for the written press and amounts to recognition of its social, pedagogical and cultural role,

AB. having regard to the special role played by the regional press which provides more immediate and direct coverage of the special problems facing the periphery of the European Union and recognizing that an important function of the regional press is to provide citizens living in remote regions of the European Union with information concerning European policy and the work of European institutions and bodies,

AC. having regard to the particular cultural role played by non-commercial publications which are devoted exclusively to literature, science, education, philosophy etc. and publications in languages with only a limited distribution in the European Union,

AD. having regard to Parliament's consistent position regarding the need to maintain pluralism and avoid a further concentration and the creation of monopolies in media ownership,

AE. whereas those best equipped to discuss and propose solutions regarding matters concerning the press are the social partners themselves through dialogue and self-regulation, and whereas any initiative taken by national or Community bodies must always seek to promote and facilitate dialogue and support freedom of the press,

1. Takes the view that the European Union must recognize that, in the new communications environment set out in the European blueprint for the Information Society, the press still has a special role to play in promoting democracy, culture and human rights and that the combination of the written and electronic media, the news agencies and the multi-media will ensure that citizens are comprehensively informed;

2. Calls on the Commission to draw up a communication analysing the individual problems created for the press and the news agencies by competition from the new communications services and outlining all the Community measures and initiatives taken in respect of the press, together with the actions and aid in favour of the electronic media and the multimedia which have a direct impact on the press;

3. Calls on the Commission to encourage external consultation and to establish suitable conditions for a broader dialogue concerning the new needs of the press and its problems within the framework of the Information Society;

4. Calls on the Commission to ensure that issues relating to the press will be specifically treated within the new structure of DGX, in conjunction with the social partners and the relevant national authorities of the Member States;

5. Calls on the Commission to continue to encourage investments in electronic editions by European publishers of newspapers and periodicals; (especially small publishing houses) and by European news agencies;

6. Calls on the Commission, the Member States and the industry to encourage and participate actively in the development of projects to promote the use of newspapers in the education of children and young people in schools;

7. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to encourage publishing houses to invest in the training of their employees in this area;

8. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to create the conditions for dialogue on the suitable legal and institutional framework to protect the social and labour rights of journalists, and notably those employed in the media under new types of employment contract, for example teleworking, freelance, etc.;

9. Calls on the Commission, in the follow-up action it will take in the wake of the Green Paper on copyright and related rights in the Information Society, to maintain for journalists the protection afforded by the author´s economic and moral rights, in accordance with the European system of authors' rights existing in most European States, and to take into account the multiple exploitation of their work by various media;

10. Believes that self-regulating measures should be adopted by the press in relation to circulation-boosting methods which are used by a section of the press, such as photojournalism, sensationalism and intrusive coverage of private life, and calls on the Commission and the Member States to create suitable conditions for dialogue between the professionals on the above issues;

11. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to oversee the strict application of the rules provided for in the Television Without Frontiers Directive regarding radio and television advertising time and teleshopping;

12. Calls on the Commission and the relevant authorities of the Member States to work together (subject to the subsidiarity principle) to explore the possibility of harmonizing rules on the Value Added Tax applicable to newspapers and periodicals throughout the European Union, with the aim of imposing, if not a 0% rate, the lowest possible tax rate, and also the possibility of common rules on reducing postal, telecommunications and freight charges for the press;

13. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to monitor the distribution systems of the press in the Member States and to take appropriate measures to ensure that all newspapers and periodicals have equal access opportunities to distribution, so as to prevent any barrier to freedom of expression and circulation through distribution;

14. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to encourage and support publications in languages of limited scope and special-interest publications devoted exclusively to literature, philosophy, education or science which have very limited or non-existent income from advertising and to support news agencies working in such languages and topics;

15. Calls on the Commission to work together with regional and local press associations and bodies to keep citizens in the regions abreast of the policies and programmes of the European Union institutions;

16. Calls on the Commission to submit to Parliament, Member States and all interested parties the draft Directive on media ownership in the internal market and, above all, to ensure that its actions and proposals are based on the principle of protecting pluralism, avoiding concentration and promoting the unhindered operation of the market concerned in the EU;

17. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the Committee of the Regions, the governments and the parliaments of the Member States, the Council of Europe and European professional associations of publishers and journalists.