10.11.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC304/17
provideforpossibleconsultationbeforetheCom­
missionfinalizesitsdecision,and-laydowncriteriaforconsideration oftheCom­
mittee'sproposalsbytheCommissionandthe
Council.
DoneatBrussels,22September1993.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN
OpinionontheCommissionGreenPaperonpluralismandmediaconcentration inthe
internalmarket-anassessmentoftheneedforCommunityaction
93/C304/07)
On15February1993,theCommissiondecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle198oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,onthe
CommissionGreenPaperonpluralismandmediaconcentration intheinternalmarket-
anassessmentoftheneedforCommunityaction.
TheSectionforIndustry,Commerce,CraftsandServices,whichwasresponsibleforpreparing
theCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon7July1993.TheRapporteur
wasMrFlum.
Atits308thPlenarySession(meetingof22September1993)theEconomicandSocial
CommitteeadoptedthefollowingOpinionbyamajoritywithsevenvotesagainstand
15abstentions .
TheCommitteewelcomesthepublicationoftheGreen
Paper,andparticularlyappreciatesthecomprehensive
pictureitprovidesoftheexistinglegalsituationinthe
MemberStates.
TheCommitteealsowelcomestheformtakenbythe
GreenPaperwhich,insteadofmakingprecipitatestate­
ments,pavesthewayforextensivedialoguebetween
thevariousgroupsinsociety.visionwithoutfrontiersDirective).Itmadeadirect
contributiontothedraftingofthatDirectivebypropos­
ingimportantelements.
1.2.InviewofthediscussionintheGreenPaper,it
seemsnecessarytorestatethebasicprinciplesofESC
mediapolicytodate.Thus,initsOpinionof25Sep­
tember1985(2)ontheGreenPaperontheestablishment
ofthecommonmarketforbroadcasting ,especiallyby
satelliteandcable(3),theCommitteestatedthatitwas
notthetaskoftheCommunitytointerferewiththe
mediastructureofindividualMemberStates.The
licensingoftelevisionandradioorganizationsshould
remainthesoleresponsibility oftheMemberState
concerned,althoughcarehadtobetakentoensure
therewasnothreattothepluralismofinformationand
opinionsintheCommunity .InthesameOpinion,the
CommitteecalledontheCommission toexamineto
whatextentnewproposalswereneededtoalign
nationalprovisionsonprogrammecontentinorderto
ensureuniformtermsofcompetition ;inthisconnec­
tion,itmadeparticularreferencetothefollowingareas:1.Introduction
1.1.TheESChasplayedaconstructivepartinthe
formulationofCommunityoptionsfortheelectronic :
mediaduringandsincethepreparationoftheCouncil
Directiveof3October19891})onthecoordinationof
certainprovisionslaiddownbylaw,regulationor
administrative actioninMemberStatesconcerningthe
pursuitoftelevisionbroadcastingactivities(thetele­
(2)OJNoC303,25.11.1985,p.13.
HOJNoL298,10.1989. (3)Doc.COM(84)300final.

NoC304/18 10.11.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
ItalsoproposedthecreationofaEuropeanMedia
Observatoryinordertomonitorand,whereappropri­
ate,curbsucheconomicconcentrations ,andtohelp
promoteandensurefreedomofinformationandcul­
turalpluralism.protectingminors,rightofreply,copyrightforauthors,
performersandproducers,televisionadvertising .From
thepresentstandpoint,itwasalsoparticularly
importanttoexamineingreaterdetailtheinfluenceof
televisionadvertisingandtheindependenceandcom­
pletenessofinformationbroadcastsandtheinfluence
ofadvertisingagenciesonthetradeinprogrammes .In
itsResolutiononmediaconcentration anddiversity
ofopinionsof16September199211),theEuropean
Parliamentexpressedconcern'atincreasingconcen­
trationintheadvertisingbusinessanditssubstantial
influenceonprogramming andmediacontent';the
Commissionalsointendstoinvestigatethesituation
withregardtoadvertising .1.5.TheCommitteealsocalledforback-upEC
measurestoguaranteeminimumprotectionforpro­
fessionalstandards,ethics,editorialautonomyandfree­
domofconscienceforallmediajournalistsand
employees.Likewise,ECinstrumentswereneededin
ordertoensurebasiccollectivecontractualrightsand
socialinsurancecoverforemployeesinvolvedinthe
media,andtoensurethattransnationalcorporations
respectedacquiredrightsandinternationallabourcon­
ventions.
1.6.Lastly,initsOpinionof20September1990(7)
ontheCommission Communication totheCouncil
accompanied bytwoproposalsforCouncilDecisions
relatingtoanactionprogrammetopromotethedevel­
opmentoftheEuropeanaudiovisualindustry—
'Media'1991-1995 (8),theCommitteeadoptedthefol­
lowingstance:'Differentkindsofprogramme-makers
withvaryinglegalstatus,i.e.bothpublic-andprivate­
sectorsuppliers,cancoexistindemocraticandsocially
responsibleways,therebylayingthefoundationfor
culturalpluralism.However,itmustbeensuredthat
allsuchentitiesofwhateverkindrespecttheprinciple
offreeexpressionofopinionforallsocialgroups.All
availablemeansmustbeusedtocombatthedevelop­
mentofmonopoly-type structuresintherecord,cassette
andfilmdistribution businesswhichhinderoreven
preventfreetradeinthesemediaarticles'.1.3.InitsOpinionof1July1987(-)ontheProposal
foraCouncilDirectiveonthecoordination ofcertain
provisionslaiddownbylaw,regulationoradministrat­
iveactioninMemberStatesconcerningthepursuitof
broadcastingactivities(3)theCommitteeexpressedthe
viewthatthenationallegislativeandadministrative
measurestobetakeninbroadcastingmuststeerclear
ofanyarrangements whichmighttendtocreatea
dominantopinion-former .InitsAdditionalOpinionof
27April1989(4)theCommitteeagainstressedtheneed
topreventanyactswhichcouldpromotethecreation
ofadominantpositionandtherebyrestrictpluralism
andfreedomofinformation .TheCommittee is
extremelyencouragedtonotethatthetelevisionDirec­
tiveadoptedbytheCouncilcontainsasectionreg­
ulatingtherightofreplyofallnaturalandlegalpersons
whoselawfulinterestsaredamagedbyfalsestatements
ontelevision .TheEconomicandSocialCommitteewas
thefirstCommunitybodytodemandthisrightin
thecourseofthedraftingprocess,beingsubsequently
followedbyParliament,theCommissionandthe
Council.FullaccounthasalsobeentakenoftheCom­
mittee'scommentsoncopyright,theprotectionofchil­
drenandminorsandadvertising,withthelatterbeing
bannedinthecaseoftobaccoproductsandprescription
drugsformedicaltreatment.1.7.InparalleltotheCommittee'sownobservations ,
theEuropeanParliament'sResolutionA3-0153/92corr.
onmediaconcentration anddiversityofopinionsof
16September1992makesimportantproposalsonthe
needforCommunityaction.Inparticular,theCom­
mitteewouldendorsethecallsfor:
—thedraftingofacharterforEuropeannon-profit­
makingbroadcasting organizations ,i.e.public
broadcastingorganizations ,broadcastingcooperat­
ivesandpublic-accesschannels;
—theprotectionandsafeguardingofEurope'scultural
heritageandculturaloutput;
—theregulationofshortreportingoneventsofgeneral
interest,withacorresponding rightofnewsaccess;1.4.InitsOpinionof20December1989(5)ona
freshboostforcultureintheEuropeanCommunity (6),
theCommitteenotedthatthedevelopmentofhuge
Europeanmediacorporationswashallmarkedbyglo­
balization,interlinkingandtheestablishment ofcon­
glomerates .Appropriateanti-trustmeasureswerethere­
foreneeded.TheCommitteeurgedtheCommissionto
considersettingdownmoreclearlythelimitstocross­
holdingsandmediamonopolization ,notablythrough
measuresrequiringtransparency offinancialtrans­
actionsandthefulldisclosureofinternationalholdings.
—theformulationofaMediaCodedesignedtomain­
tainprofessionalethics(seePoint5);
(!)OJNoC284,2.11.1992,p.44.
(2)OJNoC232,31.8.1987,p.29.
(3)OJNoC179,17.7.1986,p.4.
(4)OJNoC159,26.6.1989,p.67.
(5)OJNoC62,12.3.1990,p.26. (7)OJNoC332,31.12.1990,p.174.
(6)OJNoC175,4.7.1988. (8)OJNoC127,23.5.1990,p.13.

10.11.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC304/19
affectedbyitsactivitiesandthewayitexerciseits
powers.Inthisrespect,theCommissionseesnoneed
forspecialactionatCommunityleveltosafeguard
pluralism,sincenationalarrangements forprotecting
pluralismcan,inprinciple,alsobeappliedtosituations
withaCommunitydimension.aCommissionproposalforaEuropeanframework
Directivesafeguardingjournalisticandeditorial
independence inallmedia;
aproposalforeffectivemeasurestocombator
restrictconcentration inthemedia;and
theestablishment ofanindependentEuropean
MediaCouncil.
2.GistoftheCommissionGreenPaper2.4.2.ThiscapacityoftheMemberStatestosafe­
guardpluralismthroughanationalregulatoryframe­
workformergersmay,however,leadtodiscrepancies
withinthefrontier-freeareaconstitutedbytheCom­
munity.Thisisparticularlytrueinthecaseofnational
provisionswhicharedesignedeithertolimitmaximum
holdingsinmediacompaniesortopreventcontrolof,
orholdingsin,severalmediacompanies.
2.4.3.Suchnationalregulationsmay,atleastpoten­
tially,impactuponthefunctioningofthefrontier-free
singlemarket:
aMemberStatecouldpossiblyrestrictthefreedom
tobroadcastofradiostationsintheeventofgenuine
circumvention ofoneoftheselaws,2.1.Inthelightofthebasicapproachadoptedinthe
EECTreatyand,consequently ,intheGreenPaper,
theCommission'sconcentration onthecreationofa
smoothlyfunctioninginternalmarketforradioand
televisionisunderstandable .Nevertheless ,inviewof
thefactthattheaudiovisualmediaandtheinformation
policyassociatedwiththeiruseconstituteimportant
basesforEurope'ssocialanddemocraticdevelopment ,
theCommitteethinksthatthesafeguardingofpluralism
andofthefreedomandvarietyoftheopinions
expressedinthosemediashouldreceiveatleastthe
samedegreeofattention.Moreover,noaccountistaken
oftheroleofthepressinthiscontext—eitherasa
correctiveorstimulanttoconcentration processesinthe
audiovisualsector.Aslongasmedia-policydecisions
—ateithernationalorCommunitylevel—entailtherisk;
ofthecreationofopinion-forming cartels,European
developmentcouldbethreatened .TheCommittee
wouldstresstheimportanceofsafeguardingbasicrights
intheCommunityastheCommunityorgans,especially
theCourtofJustice,haverepeatedlyrecognized.theestablishment ofmediacompaniesinanother
MemberStatecouldbelimited,
restrictionsanddistortionsofcompetitioncouldbe
introduced,
uncertaintyastothelaw,harmfultothecompeti­
tivenessofcompanies,couldresultfromdiverging
viewsonwhatconstitutes'circumvention ',
suchlegalprovisionslimitaccesstotheactivities
andtotheownershipofthemedia,insteadoffacilit­
atingaccesssoastopermittheestablishment of
asinglemarketandgivemediacompaniesthat
competitiveness whichpluralismrequires.2.2.TheGreenPapermakesspecificreferenceto
EuropeanParliamentResolutionsandtotheworkol:
theCouncilofEurope.However,theCommittee,too,
hasalreadyadoptedastanceontheproblemofconcen­
trationinthemedia,particularlyinitsOpinionson
televisionwithoutfrontiers .Thefailuretotakenote
ofESCcommentsonthissubjectisafundamental
shortcomingoftheGreenPaper;thefinalversionol:
theCommission documentshouldtakeaccountofthe
Committee'sextensivepreparatorywork,proposals
andideasonthistopic.2.4.4.Ownershiprestrictionscausingsucheffectsare
notnecessarilyincompatible withCommunitylaw
becausetheyhelptoguaranteeorsafeguardpluralism.
Consequently ,theycannotbereplacedjustbyapplying
generalcompetitionlawandinparticular,atCom­
munitylevel,themergercontrolregulation.2.3.TheCommission'spurposeinpublishingthe
GreenPaperistopresentaninitialassessmentofthe
needforCommunityactiononconcentration inthe
media(television,radio,press)andofvarious ,
approacheswhichtheCommissionmight:adoptonce
ithasascertainedtheviewsofthepartiesconcerned .2.4.5.TheCommissionproposesthethreefollowing
optionsforpossibleCommunityaction:
I.Doingnothing
2.4.Onthebasisofitsanalysisofthedifferent
nationalregulationsandmeasuresgoverningpluralism
andmediaconcentration ,theCommissionhasreached
thefollowingconclusions :II.Proposingarecommendation toenhancetrans­
parency;
III.Proposingtheharmonization ofnationalrestric
tionsonmediaownershipby2.4.1.Protectionofpluralismassuchisprimarilya
matterfortheMemberStates.Inworkingtowardsits
objectivesandexercisingitspowers,theCommunity
must,however,ensurethatpluralismisnotadversely a)aCouncilDirective,or

NoC304/20 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 10.11.93
b)aCouncilRegulation,or
c)adirectiveoraregulationtogetherwithan
independentcommittee.tomaintainpluralism.Suchactionshould,accord­
ingly,definethelimitstomediaconcentration so
astoprotectpluralismintheECagainstmedia
companieswhichdominateentiresectorsofopin­
ion-formingactivityincertainregions.Whilstthe
economichealthandcompetitiveness ofbusinesses
maybepreconditions forpluralism,theydonot
automatically increaseitandmayevenleadtoa
reductionifthemarketiscontrolledbyasingle
company .TheCommissiondoesnotcurrentlyhaveaparticular
preferenceforanyoneoftheseoptionsandremains
opentoalternativesuggestions .
3.Generalcomments
d)
3.1.TheCommitteethinksthattheCommission
shouldtakeaccountofthefollowingpointsinthe
courseoffurtherdiscussion :
a)Rulesonnationalandtrans-national mediacom­
panieswhichachievemonopoly-type dominanceof
broadsectorsincertaincountriesareconsideredby
theCommitteetobenecessary;theECDirective
cannotconcentrateexclusivelyontheremovalof
barrierstomarketaccess—Communitylegislation
mustalsosetpreciselimitstomedia-specific concen­
tration.ThesameappliestoState-runtelevisionand
radioorganizationswhichdominatethemarketby
virtueofthesize.Ontheotherhand,publicbroad­
castingcompanies,whoseindependence from
governmentinterferenceisguaranteedbythepublic
bodiescontrollingthem,cansignificantlyhelpto
safeguardthefreedomofopinionandinformation
andthustoensurepluralism.TheGreenPaper'sanalysisofthesituationinthe
MemberStatesconcludesthattheexistenceofdis­
parateanti-trustprovisionsinrespectofthemedia
impedestheoperationofthesinglemarketinthis
sectorandthatCommunityactionistherefore
necessary.TheCommitteerecognizesthatthe
obstaclestotheoperationofthesinglemarketcre­
atedbydifferentnationalprovisions (restriction/
distortionofcompetition ,limitationofthefreedom
toprovideservicesandtherightofestablishment ,
legaluncertainty )mustberemovedsoastoenable
enterprisestoenjoyboththebenefitsofthesingle
marketandequalopportunities fordevelopment
withintheEC.ButtheCommission seesnoneed
forCommunitylegislationtosafeguardpluralism
andthefreedomofopinionsince,ontheonehand,
theECTreatymakestheMemberStatesresponsible
forensuringpluralismand,ontheother,thediffer­
entnationalrulesonthissubjectostensiblyprovide
adequateguarantees.eItisnecessarytointroducelegislationgoverning
accesstosatellitefrequencieswhichallowunrestric­
tedbroadcastingtoEurope.
0Amediacommitteemadeupofmembersofthe
EuropeanParliamentandtheESCandincluding
independentexpertsandrepresentatives ofinterest­
edsocialgroupingsshouldbesetuptoadvisethe
Commission .b)
g)FortheCommittee,thisconclusionrepresentsan
oversimplification .TheCommissionitselfacknowl­
edgesthat,whilstECcompetitionlawcanhelp
inmaintainingpluralism,itisnottheappropriate
instrumentforthistask.Moreover,themere
removaloflegalrestrictionsduringtheapproval
procedureforbroadcasterscouldreducepluralism.
Thesafeguardingofpluralismandfreedomofopin­
ioninprogrammesessentiallydependsonrules
designedtopreventmediaconcentration processes
whichcouldleadtomonopoly-type mergers.The
morecertainlargemediaextendtheirdominance
overEuropeancountries,thefewertheoppor­
tunitiesforsmallersupplierstomaintainalternative
programmeproduction .TheCommitteethinksthatpluralismshouldalso
besafeguardedbylegalprovisionsinotherareas.
Requirements mustthereforebelaiddownin
respectofminimumdemocraticstandardsinEuro­
peantelevisionandradiostationsandthepress
(safeguardingof'internal'broadcastingandpress
freedomthroughcooperation,participationandthe
prohibitionofcensures).Thus,initsMilanDeclar­
ationof5March1993,theEuropeanGroupofthe
InternationalFederationofJournalists (IFJ)stated:
'Butapartfrommeasuresaimedatsafeguarding
pluralisminthemediaingeneral,thereisaneed
forsecuringpluralisminsidethepublishinghouses
andbroadcastingstationsThereistheneedto
secureeditorialindependence .Theeditorialstaff
detains(sic)themoralandintellectualcapitalof
publishinghousesandbroadcastingstations'.The
MilanDeclarationalsosetsoutminimumstandards
ofeditorialindependenceforallEuropeanmedia.cEveniftheCommunity'spowerislimitedtothe
establishment oftheinternalmarket,therecanbe
nodoubtthat,inthecaseofthemedia,suchmarket
mechanismshaveamajorinfluenceonthesafe­
guardingofpluralisminthesupplyofprogrammes
—and,consequently ,thefreedomandvarietyof
opinions.TheCommitteethereforefeelsitwould
bewrongfortheCommunitytoavoidtakingaction

10.11.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC304/21
munity,therebylimitingorreducingtheirscopefor
broadcasting .3.2.TheCommitteethereforeurgestheCommission
totakestepstoensurethatownershipconditionsinthe
pressandelectronicmediasectoraremadecompletely
publicbyrequiringtransparency infinancialtrans­
actionsandfulldisclosureofworldwidecompanyhold­
ings,cross-holdings andconcealedthird-partyholdings.
SuchtransparencymustbecompelledbyspecificCom­
munitylegislativeprovisionsasapreconditionoflegal
protectionforfreedomofopinionandinformation .4.2.Question2
Aretheneedsidentifiedofsufficientimportance,inthe
lightofCommunityobjectives,torequireactioninthe
mediaindustryand,ifso,whenshouldsuchactionbe
taken?
3.3.Inviewoftheimportanceofthemediafora
democratic,pluralisticsocialorderintheCommunity ,
itisnotsufficienttomonitorconcentration processes
andtakeactiontopreventanyadverseconsequences
forfreedomofinformationandculturaldiversity.Con­
siderationshouldthereforebegiventothecreationof
aEuropeanMediaCouncilasaself-regulatory body
forthesector,whichcoulddealwithsuchdevelopments
andsuggestionsforimprovingEuropeanmediapolicy.'Actioninthemediasector'thatisdesignedtoeliminate
'restrictiveeffects...whichmightaffecttheimplemen­
tationofthesinglemarketinthemediaindustry'must
alsotakeaccountoftheimpactofunrestrictedmarket
dominanceonpluralismandthevarietyofopinions
andprovideforspecificCommunityrulescoveringthe
transparencyofmediacompaniesandlimitingmedia
concentration .TheCommitteethereforeproposesrapid
Communityactionwiththeaimof:
definingstandardEC-wideconcentration rulesfor
theprintandelectronicmedia,3.4.TheESCwouldpointtothepre-eminentimport­
anceattachingtoCommunityregulations,whilepaying
dueregardtothesubsidiarityprinciple.Itis,however,
essentialthat—inviewofthetechnologicalpossibilities
(satellitebroadcasting )—theCommunity'sbasicmedia
rulesshouldalsobeappliedinnon-membercountries.
TheCommissionshouldinitiatenegotiationsonsuch
cooperationwithoutdelay.settingminimumdemocraticstandardstoensure
'internal'broadcastingandpressfreedominthe
interestsofsafeguardingthevarietyofopinionsand
freedomofinformation .Therighttoreporton
culturalandsportingevents(evenofacommercial
nature)mustalsobeguaranteed—arjdmustpre­
cludeunjustifiedinterferencebycommercialinter­
ests;
makingpublictheadvertisingrevenueofallbroad­
casters.4.ESCanswerstotheCommission'squestions
4.1.Question1
4.3.Question3Howgreatistheneedforaction,inparticularwith
regardto:
Howeffective,inthelightofCommunityobjectives,
wouldactiontakensolelyatMemberStatelevelbe? restrictionsonownership;
restrictiveeffects;Whilstnationalmeasuresmaybeappropriate,Com­
munityactionisessentialtopreventfurthermedia
concentrationandsafeguardpluralism.
specificrestrictionsinrespectofmulti-mediaand
mono-mediaaspects?
4.4.Question4
Whataretheviewsofinterestedpartiesonthecontent
ofapossibleharmonization instrumentasenvisaged
above,andinparticularonthetwovariantsforits
scope,ontheuseoftherealaudienceasabasisfor
settingthresholds,onthedemarcationofdistribution
areas,onanyotherpossiblereferences,andonwaysof
definingtheconceptofcontroller?Therearesufficientwell-known caseswhichestablish
theneedforaction.Legalprovisionsgoverning
approvalconditionshavenotalwaysbeenadequately
observed;thus,thesimultaneousownershipoftele­
visionstations,TVandradioweekliesandnewspapers
—whichisprohibitedintheUS,forexample—has
beenexploitedbymediaenterprisestoattackormar­
ginalizerivalprogrammeproducersandgaincompeti­
tiveadvantages .Thetradeinexclusiverightstoinfor­
mationisexpandingandcouldultimatelyposeathreat
tofreedomofinformation .Thereisalsoaneedto
preventrestrictionsonpluralismarisingfrominter­
nationalagreementswiththirdcountrieswhichoccupy
channelsandfrequenciesthathavealreadybeenassig­
nedtolocalandregionalTVstationsintheCom­4.4.1.AsregardsthescopeoftheGreenPaper
(ChapterV,1,C),theCommitteeagreesthatrestric­
tionsderivingfrompluralismrulescannotrelateto
programmecontent.Whilstprovisionsdesignedto
ensurevarietyofopinionsandfreedomofinformation

NoC304/22 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 10.11.93
4.6.Question6
Howdesirablev/oulditbe,regardlessofthe'pro­
cedural'aspectsofapossibleharmonization instru­
ment,tosetupabodywithcompetenceformedia
concentration ?inbroadcastingareindispensable ,theircodificationand
monitoringmustcontinuetoberegulatednationally.
Yet,eveniftheirpartialeffectivenesswereestablished,
therewouldbenoguaranteeofgenuinepluralismsince
theliftingofnationalrestrictionsonmediaownership
intheinternalmarketwouldfavourfurtherexpansion
byinternationalmediacorporationswhoseinterests
andprogrammepoliciesarenotguidedbypluralist
ideals.Thereisnowsufficientevidencetoshowthat,
farfromincreasingpluralism,commercially-orientated
broadcastingpolicysimplyleadstomoreofthesame,
i.e.merelythepluralratherthanpluralism.InaccordancewiththeEuropeanParliament'sResol­
utionof16September1992,itseemsadvisabletoset
upaEuropeanMediaCouncilormediaarbitration
centrecomposedofindependentexpertsandrepresen­
tativesofrelevantsocialandculturalinterestgroups.
Thiswouldhavethetaskofanalyzingconcentration
processesandadvisingParliamentandtheCommission
onallECmediaquestions.4.4.2.TheCommitteethereforewelcomestheGreen
Paper'sconsideration ofthebalancetobestruck
betweenensuringdiversityandfacilitatingmarket
accesswhenharmonizingnationallegislationinthe
internalmarketandwouldagainstresstheneedfor
anti-concentration rulesformediaenterprisesabovea
certainsize.4.7.Options
I.Nospecificaction:
Itwouldmakethefollowingspecificproposals :
Inviewoftheexistenceofinternational multi-media
corporations ,ownershiprestrictionsmustalsobe
introducedinrespectofthepress.TheCommitteesharestheviewsoftheEuropean
Parliamentwithregardtomediaconcentration ,
andalsofindstheGreenPaper'sobjectionstothis
approachmoreconvincing .Moreover,thepolicies
pursuedbysupranational mediaconcernscanno
longerbeadequatelyinfluencedbynationallegis­
lation.TheCommitteethereforecannotendorse
OptionI. Neithermedianornon-mediaenterprisesmustbe
allowedtodominatethemarketinseveralmedia
sectors(television,radio,press)inoneormore
nationalmarkets;similarly,nosuchenterprisethat
alreadycontrolsanationalmediasectormustbe
allowedtoextenditsmarketdominance .II.Actionrelatingtotransparency :
Mediaornon-mediacompaniesalreadydominating
themarketinonenationalmediasectorshouldnot
beallowedtoacquireamajorityholdinginmedia
companieselsewhereintheCommunity .TheCommitteeregardssuchanisolatedCom­
missionproposaltotheMemberStates,which
wouldbeindependentofactiontoharmonize
nationalrestrictionsonmediaholdings,asinad­
equate(see4.5)andconsequentlyrejectsit.
III.Actiontoharmonize laws:
Beforeamediacompanythatisalreadyactivein
onemediasectorisallowedtooperateinanother
mediasector,allitsholdingsandcross-ownership
arrangementsmustbedisclosedinfull.Bearinginmind,inparticular,thecommentson
Question4concerningtheconsequencesforplural­
ism,theESCendorses,inprinciple,theintroduction
oflegalprovisionsbymeansofadirectiveand
thinksthatapproximation onthebasisofaregu­
lationwouldbecomparatively inflexible.Sub­
optionC,ontheotherhand,wouldappeartobe
bothreasonableandeffective. 4.5.Question5
Whatwouldbetheadvantageofactiontopromote
transparencywhichwouldbeseparatefromaharmoni­
zationinstrument ?5.Foundations ofamediacode
5.1.Theproblemsofgrowingmediaconcentration
andtheincreasingcommercialization andviolenceof
manyTVprogrammes ,whicharebecomingapparent
inthecontextoftheGreenPaper'stopicandarenot
confinedtoEurope,requiremorefundamentaldis­
cussion.Allinterestedpartiesshouldthereforeconsider
theestablishmentofaEuropeanmediacodewhich,inForthereasonsalreadystated,theCommitteeseeslittle
pointinmeasurestoensurethetransparencyofall
mediacompaniesintheabsenceofactiontocontrol
mediaconcentration andpluralism.

10.11.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC304/23
additiontothecontrolofmediacompanypower,
shouldprovidefortheanalysisofconsumerrequire­
ments,bearinginmind,inparticular,themaintenance
andsafeguardingofthefreedomofinformationand
opinions,theprotectionofminorsagainstviolentand
pornographic programmesandtheirrestrictionon
groundsofhuman—particularlyfemale—-dignityand
theprohibitionoftheglorificationofwar.'TheCommitteeendorsestheprovisionswith
regardtotheprotectionofchildrenandyoung
persons.Itconsidersthattherulesofconductfor
thispurposeshouldbeaccompaniedandsupported
bysystematicconsumereducationatnationallevel
sothatyoungpeopleconstantlyexposedtobroad­
castingmaylearntodevelopacriticalawarenessof
bothprogrammesandadvertisements .'
(ESCOpinionof1July1987ontheproposalfora
CouncilDirectiveonthecoordination ofcertain
provisionslaiddownbylaw,regulationoradminis­
trativeactioninMemberStatesconcerningthepur­
suitofbroadcastingactivities-Article15,2.25.)
5.3.InOctober1989,theCounciladoptedtheDirec­
tiveonTelevisionwithoutFrontiers,whichsetout
importantguidelines.Init,theCouncil:
—affirmedtheimportanceofbroadcastingforthe
developmentofcultureandthefreeformationof
opinionsinconditionssafeguardingpluralismand
equalityofopportunity ,
—recognizedtheneedtoconsolidatethecommon
broadframeworkofregulation,notablyasregards
theresponsibilities ofthebroadcasternottopresent
indecent,violentorracistmaterial;toreservefor
Europeanworksamajorityproportionoftheir
transmissiontime;toabidebygeneralstandardson
theduration,presentation ,formandinsertionof
advertisements ;tomonitorthecontentandquality
ofadvertising,withparticularreferencetoinfor­
mation,educationandconsumerprotection .5.2.TheCommitteehasalreadylaidthefoundations
forsuchaEuropeanmediacodeinearlierOpinions:
'Theincreaseintherangeofmedianowcomingon
tothemarketnecessitatesconsumer-policy
measuresiftheconsumerisnotunwittinglyto
becometheplaythingofthosewhoexerciseadirect
influenceonthemediaandontheinformation
disseminatedthereby.Consumereducationcanhelp
theconsumermakeresponsibleuseofmediaser­
vices.Consideration shouldbegiventowhether
consumerorganizations mightnotthemselvesbe
abletohelpdirectlyinthistaskviatheirown
consumereducationprogrammes.'
(ESCOpinionof25September1985ontheGreen
Paperontheestablishmentofthecommonmarket
forbroadcasting ,especiallybysatelliteandcable.)
'Thereisthereforeapossibledangerthatanever­
increasingproportionofso-calledpopularpro­
grammes (featurefilms,varietyprogrammes ,
games)willbeofferedtothepubliconcethecom­
monbroadcastingmarket,asadvocatedbythe
GreenPaper,hasbeenestablished .Becauseofthe
highaudienceratingstheycommand,suchpro­
grammesareparticularlyprofitablefromacommer­
cialpointofview.Theresultmightwellbestan­
dardizationincompatiblewiththeobjectivesofthe
GreenPaperratherthanagenuinediversification
ofprogrammes.'(ibidem4.4.)
'Hencethecaseforsettinglimitstothefreeplayof
competitioninradioandtelevisionbroadcasting
throughtheimpositionofEuropean-wide quality
standards.Forthetimebeing,however,existing
nationalqualitystandardsshouldberetainedand
supported.'(ibidem4.5.2.)
'Inthefieldof'publicorder'theCommunityshould
introduceprovisionstoharmonizethenecessary
basicmeasuresintheinterestsof:
—protectingminorsinparticularagainstpor­
nographyandtheglorificationofviolenceand
armedconflict,
—protectingindividualsagainstmisrepresentation
(rightofreply).'(ibidem5.4.)5.4.InitsAdditionalOpinionon20December1989
onafreshboostforcultureintheEuropeanCom­
munity,theESCcommentedontheConventionas
follows:
'Cultureisseenasadynamic,evolutiveenrichment
ofdailylife.TheEuropeanCommunitydimension
hasandcancontinuesignificantlytocontributeto
this,notinanyperceived'identikit'fashion,but
throughtheharmonyuponwhichdiversitythrives,
throughincreasedcontact,comparisonandmixing,
andtheidentification bothofdifferentculturaltra­
ditionsandofcommonunitingprinciples,ofmutual
understanding andtheeliminationofprejudices
betweenpeoples.TheEuropean'culturalmodel'is
notall-excLusive ,stilllessa'meltingpot'butrather
amulti-various ,multi-ethnical pluralityofculture,
thesumtotalofwhichenricheseachindividual
culture.TheEuropean'culturalmodel'servesnot
asa'fortress'butasanopenspringboardtowards
otherculturesboththroughouttheCommunityand
throughouttheworld.'(1.4.2.)

NoC304/24 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 10.11.93
5.5.ThefollowingsectionsofthisOpinioncontain
adetailedexaminationofthe'culturalaspectsofmedia
policy'.InafurtherOpinionof20September1990on
anactionprogrammetopromotethedevelopmentof
theEuropeanaudiovisualindustry—'Media'1991­
1995,theESCnoted:'Differentkindsofprogrammemakerswithvarying
legalstatus,i.e.bothpublicandprivatesectorsup­
pliers,cancoexistindemocraticandsociallyrespon­
sibleways,therebylayingthefoundationforcul­
turalpluralism.However,itmustbeensuredthat
allsuchentitiesofwhateverkindrespecttheprin­
cipleoffreeexpressionofopinionforallsocial
groups.'(3.7.4.)
6.Conclusion
TheCommission isaskedtoconsidertheforegoing
pointsandproposalswithaviewtoensuringthat
humandignityinafree,democraticsocietyisthefocal
pointoffuturedevelopments intheEuropeanmedia
market.'Inrelationtopeoplemediapolicyhasavarietyof
effects,responsibilities anddemocratic,socialand
culturalduties.Wearetalkingnotonlyofacon­
stantlyexpandingmarketwithturnovermeasured
inthousandsofmillionsandhundredsofthousands
ofemployees,butmoreimportantlyaboutthemain­
tenanceandpromotionofEurope'shistoricalident­
ity.'(3.7.3.)
DoneatBrussels,22September1993.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN