Council Conclusions of 23 July 2001 on the Commission's Evaluation Report on the application of the recommendation concerning the protection of minors and human dignity
Date: 2001-07-23
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: European audiovisual area, child protection, control of communications, freedom of self-determination, infancy

C 213/10

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

31.7.2001

5. NOTES

that

these

conditions are

extent
influenced by a number of other policy areas,
for
example employment, social security, intellectual property
rights, free movement, education and training;

to a great

policies

national

6. NOTES that the exchange of information on good practice
and
for
professional artists developed by many Member States
and candidate countries could be of mutual interest and
deal with the subjects that are most suitable for discussion
at the European level;

concerning

conditions

7. STRESSES

the importance of giving the relevant organi-
sations representing creative and performing artists the
opportunity to present
their views where measures
concerning their conditions are planned;

8. CONSIDERS that,

in the light of enlargement and of the
it would be appropriate
other factors mentioned above,
to encourage exchange of
information and experience
concerning the conditions for professional artists between
the Member States as well as between the Member States
and the candidate countries,
involving relevant parties
based on the question at hand;

9. CONSIDERS the importance of taking into account the work
done by international organisations,
the
Council of Europe and Unesco, as well as by other

in particular

professional bodies and networks in this sphere to avoid
any duplication.

10. INVITES the Commission, having regard to the subsidiarity
principle and within the existing legal and financial
framework, and especially Article 151(4) of the Treaty, to:

(i) encourage exchange of

information and experience
regarding conditions for professional artists between
the Member States as well as between the Member
States and the candidate countries,
for
example, meetings,
the use of new communication
technologies and/or studies,

including,

(ii) ensure, where Community level measures are planned
concerning conditions for professional artists, that the
relevant European organisations representing artists are
given the opportunity to present their views.

11. CALLS ON the Member States to:

(i) cooperate with the Commission in the development
and implementation of the exchange outlined above,

(ii) encourage exchange of

information and experience
concerning the
for professional artists
between the Member States as well as between the
Member States and the candidate countries.

conditions

COUNCIL CONCLUSIONS

of 23 July 2001

on the Commission’s Evaluation Report on the application of the recommendation concerning the
protection of minors and human dignity

(2001/C 213/03)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

1. WELCOMES the Commission’s Evaluation Report of 27
February 2001 on the application of the Council Recom-
mendation 98/560/EC of 24 September 1998 on the devel-
opment of the competitiveness of the European audio-
visual and information services industry by promoting
national
frameworks aimed at achieving a comparable
and effective level of protection of minors and human
dignity,

2. NOTES the Report’s conclusions, which overall

encouraging results as regards the application of

show
the

Recommendation, but which also emphasise that users,
including consumers, should have been more involved
and that two years may be a relatively short period for
fully applying the recommendation,

3. NOTES that the activities concerning digital broadcasting so
far are fairly modest and that renewed efforts need to be
made to ensure a coherent approach regarding the
protection of minors and human dignity adapted to each
mode of delivery of audiovisual media,
for example
Internet TV and interactive broadcasting,

31.7.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 213/11

4. WELCOMES the actions developed in the context of the
multiannual Community action plan on promoting safer
the Internet by combating illegal and harmful
use of
content on global networks,
(Decision No 276/1999/EC
of the European Parliament and of the Council) (1),

5. RECALLS the Commission Communication of 14 December
1999 on principles and guidelines for the Community’s
in particular the
audiovisual policy in the digital age,
aspects related to the protection of minors, in which the
Commission concludes,
inter alia, that the protection of
minors will be amongst the particular areas for attention
within the Community’s audiovisual policy over the next
five years,

6. RECALLSthe television without frontiers Directive (Council
Directive 89/552/EEC (2), Article 22 of which provides for
a minimum level of protection of minors with regard to
television broadcasting, and also the results of the study on
parental control of television broadcasting, carried out by
the Commission in accordance with the requirements of
Article 22(b)(2) of that Directive,

7. AWARE OF the European Parliament

resolution of 5
October 2000 on the Commission Communication on
the study on parental control of television broadcasting,
stressing the need to introduce effective systems to protect
minors from the increasing amount of harmful media
content,

8. RECALLS

the Council conclusions of 17 December 1999
on the protection of minors in the light of the devel-
opment of digital audiovisual services, which,
inter alia,
underline the need to bring together the industries and
the other parties concerned in order to examine ways to
achieve greater clarity in the way audiovisual content is
evaluated and rated in Europe, both within and between
the various sectors concerned and to support the exchange
of information and best practice regarding the protection
of minors,

9. RECALLS that

the Council conclusions of 17 December
1999 note the importance of activities aimed at protecting
through
minors
improved levels of media literacy and through measures
to raise awareness,

from harmful

audiovisual

content

10. NOTES the report by the Presidency of the Council and
conclusions from the expert seminar on children and
young people in the new media landscape in Stockholm
on 12 and 13 February 2001, organised by the Swedish
Presidency of the European Union in cooperation with the
Commission, which had the primary aim of drawing
attention to the issue of how minors can be protected
from harmful content
in different media due to rapid
technical development,

11.

INVITES the Member States, on the basis of the Evaluation
Report, to:

(a) continue their work to promote the application of the
recommendation and, within that context,
to pay
particular attention to the need to encourage the
participation of users, including consumers;

(b) disseminate the results of the application of the recom-
mendation to the parties concerned including,
inter
alia, users, consumers,
industry and authorities, with
the aim of promoting the exchange of experience,
the development of new skills and good practice
regarding the protection of minors,

12.

INVITES the Commission, on the basis of the Evaluation
Report, to:

(a) continue its work, on the basis of the encouraging
results which have been achieved hitherto,
and
promote the application of the recommendation by
facilitating the exchange of experience and good
practice at Community level on the protection of
minors in respect of all audiovisual media;

(b) report to the Council, with reference to the fact that
two years may be a relatively short period for fully
applying the
at an appropriate
moment, and preferably before 31 December 2002,
on the
recommendation and the
outcome regarding the new and promising initiatives
taken in the Member States;

recommendation,

effect of

the

(c) continue

the dialogue with the different parties
involved, and particularly with the industry, on the
possibilities for implementing technical systems for
parental control in the digital environment.

(1) OJ L 33, 6.2.1999, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 298, 17.10.1989, p. 23. Directive as amended by Directive
(OJ L

97/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council
202, 30.7.1997, p. 60).