Publication pursuant to Article 3a(2) of 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, as amended by Directive 97/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council
Date: 2005-06-29
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Belgium, approximation of laws, audiovisual communications policy, broadcasting, sporting event, television

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Official Journal of the European Union

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Publication pursuant to Article 3a(2) of 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, as amended by Directive 97/36/EC of
the European Parliament and of the Council

(2005/C 158/04)

The measures taken by the Kingdom of Belgium in accordance with Article 3(1) of the Directive, and noti-
fied to the Commission in accordance with the procedure in Article 3a(2), are to be found in the following
extracts from instruments adopted respectively by the Flemish and French Communities and published in
the Moniteur Belge:

— for the French Community,

in the Decree of 27 February 2003 on broadcasting (MB No 137,

17.4.2003) and the Order of 8 June 2004 (MB No 318, 6.9.2004);

— for the Flemish Community, in the Decree of 25 January 1995 (DCFL No 1995-01-25/38) and the

Order of 28 May 2004 (MB No 295, 19.8.2004).

A consolidated list of events of major importance for Belgium is contained, incidentally, in the agreement
concluded between the French Community and the Flemish Community on 28 November 2003.

FRENCH COMMUNITY

1. Broadcasting Decree

[…]

Art. 4 § 1

After consulting the CSA, the Government may adopt a list of events which it considers to be of major
importance for the public of the French Community. Such events may not be subject to the exercise of
exclusive rights by a television broadcaster or by the RTBF, such as to deprive a large part of the public in
that Community of access to these events via a free-access television service.

The Government shall determine whether the events are to be transmitted live, deferred, in full or in
excerpts.

Art. 4 § 2

An event is considered to be of major importance for the public of the French Community if it meets at
least two of the following criteria:

1. the event is particularly popular with the public of the French Community in general, not just those

who follow such events as a matter of course;

2. the event has a cultural importance generally recognised by the public of the French Community and is

part of that Community's cultural identity;

3. a Belgian personality or team is participating in the event concerned in the context of a competition or

event of international importance;

4. the event is traditionally broadcast in a programme of a free-access television service in the French

Community and attracts a wide public.

After consulting the CSA, the Government may adopt the procedures by which the abovementioned events
have to be made accessible.

Art. 4 § 3

A television broadcasting service is considered to be ‘free-access’ if it broadcasts in the French language and
can be received by 90 % of households with television reception equipment located in the French-speaking
region or the bilingual Brussels-Capital region. Apart from the technical costs, reception of this service
cannot be subject to payment other than the subscription price for the basic cable package.

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Art. 4 § 4

Television broadcasters and the RTBF shall refrain from exercising any exclusive rights they might have
acquired after 30 July 1997, such as would deprive a large part of the public of a Member State of the
European Union of access via a free-access television service to events of major importance, a list of which
has been published in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

They shall comply with the special conditions set at the time of publication of the abovementioned lists,
concerning live or deferred access, in full or in excerpts.

2. Order designating events of major importance and determining the procedures for making

them accessible

Article 1

Within the limits laid down in this order, access by the public of the French Community to these events
shall be live, deferred, in full or in excerpts, in accordance with the Annex to this order.

Article 2

A television broadcaster service in the French Community intending to exercise the exclusive broadcasting
rights it holds to an event of major importance must broadcast it on a free-access television service in
accordance with the Annex to this Order.

Article 3

A television broadcaster which has acquired the live-and-in-full transmission rights to an event may never-
theless postpone the broadcasting of this event on a free-access television broadcasting service in the
following cases:

— if the event takes place between midnight and 8 a.m., Belgian time;

— if the event coincides with a news or current affairs programme normally broadcast by the service at

that time;

— if the event comprises several elements taking place simultaneously.

Article 4

This Order does not create any broadcasting obligation for the head of RTBF or the television broadcasting
services of the French Community.

The Minister for Audiovisual is responsible for the implementation of this Order.

Article 5

Brussels, 8 June 2004.

For the Government of the French Community:

The Minister for Audiovisual,

O. CHASTEL

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3. Annex to the Order

List of events and categories of events of major importance and arrangements for free public access to
them:

1. Summer and Winter Olympic Games, live and with excerpts;

2. Belgian Football Cup Final (men), live and in full;

3. All matches involving the Belgian men's football team, live and in full;

4. Football World Cup Finals (men), live and in full;

5. European Football Championship, final round (men), live and in full;

6. Champion's League, matches involving Belgian clubs, live and in full;

7. UEFA Cup, matches involving Belgian clubs, live and in full;

8. Tour de France, men, professional, live and with excerpts;

9. Liège-Bastogne-Liège, live and with excerpts;

10. Amstel Gold Race, live and with excerpts;

11. Tour of Flanders, live and with excerpts;

12. Paris-Roubaix, live and with excerpts;

13. Milan-San Remo, live and with excerpts;

14. Belgian Road Cycling Championships, professional (men), live and with excerpts;

15. World Road Cycling Championships, professional (men), live and with excerpts;

16. Ivo Van Damme Memorial, live and in full;

17. Belgian Formula 1 Grand Prix, live and in full;

18. The following Grand Slam tennis tournaments: Roland Garros and Wimbledon, quarter finals, semi

finals and finals involving a Belgian player, live and in full;

19. The Davis Cup and the Fed Cup, quarter finals, semi finals and finals involving the Belgian team, live

and in full;

20. Queen Elisabeth Music Competition, the final, live and in full;

21. La Flèche wallonne, live and with excerpts;

22. World Athletics Championships, where Belgian athletes are taking part, live and in full;

To be annexed to the order of 8 June 2004.

The Minister for Audiovisual

O. CHASTEL

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FLEMISH COMMUNITY

1. Decree of 25 January 1995

Art. 76 § 1

The Flemish Government shall draw up a list of events considered to be of major importance for the
public and which, for this reason, may not be broadcast on an exclusive basis so that a large part of the
public of the Flemish Community cannot watch them live or deferred on free-access television.

The Flemish Government shall decide whether these events shall be broadcast via whole or partial live
coverage or, where necessary or appropriate for objective reasons of general interest, via whole or partial
deferred coverage.

Art. 76 § 2

Television broadcasting undertakings of or recognised by the Flemish Community may not exercise the
exclusive rights thus gained such that a large part of the public of another Member State of the European
Community cannot without payment watch the events designated by that Member State wholly or partially
live or, where necessary or appropriate for objective reasons of general
interest, wholly or partially
deferred, as determined by that Member State.

2. Order of the Flemish Government establishing the list of events of major importance to society

[…]

Whereas an event can be considered as an event of major importance to society if two of the following
conditions are met:

1. the event has great topical value and attracts considerable public interest;

2. the event is taking place in the context of an important international competition or is a competition in

which the national team, a Belgian club team or one or more Belgian athlete(s) is/are taking part;

3. the event belongs to an important sporting discipline and represents an important cultural asset to the

Flemish Community;

4. the event is broadcast traditionally by free-access television and has a high viewer rating for its cate-

gory.

[…]

Article 1 § 1

The following events are considered as events of major importance to society:

1. Summer Olympic Games;

2. Football (men): all matches involving the national team and all final-round World Cup and European

Championship matches;

3. Champions League and UEFA Cup:

— matches in which a Belgian club team is playing;

— semi finals and finals;

4. Belgian Football Cup Final (men);

5. Cycling:

The Tour de France for elite cyclists (men): all stages;

the following World Cup races: Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-
Liège, Amstel Gold Race, Paris-Tours and Tour of Lombardy;

the Belgian Championship and the World Championship for elite cyclists (men).

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6. Cyclo-cross: the Belgian Championships and World Championships for elite cyclists (men).

7. Tennis:

Grand Slam tournaments: all matches with Belgian players from the quarter finals onward and all
finals (singles);

Davis Cup and Fed Cup: quarter finals, semi finals and finals involving Belgian teams.

8. Belgian Formula 1 Grand Prix.

9. Athletics: the Van Damme Memorial.

10. Queen Elisabeth Competition.

Article 1 § 2

The events referred to under 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are made available via whole live coverage.

The events referred to under 1 and 5 are made available via partial live coverage.

Art. 2

The exclusive rights over the events mentioned in Article 1 § 1 may not be exercised in such a way as to
prevent a large part of the population from following these events on free-access television.

A large part of the population of the Flemish Community is considered to be able to follow an event of
major importance to society on free-access television when the event is broadcast by a television station
transmitting in the Dutch language and can be received by at least 90 % of the population without any
payment in excess of the television distribution subscription price.

Art. 3 § 1

Television stations which do not satisfy the requirements of Article 2 and which acquire exclusive transmis-
sion rights in the Dutch-speaking region and the bilingual Brussels-Capital region for the events mentioned
in Article 1 § 1 may not exercise these rights unless they can guarantee, on the basis of contracts
concluded, that a large part of the population will not be prevented from following these events on free-
access television as provided for in Articles 1 § 2 and 2.

Art. 3 § 2

Television stations which hold exclusive transmission rights may grant sub-licences at reasonable market
prices and within time limits to be agreed with the television stations, to television stations which satisfy
the requirements of Article 2.

Art. 3 § 3

If no television station declares itself willing to take sub-licences under these conditions, the television
station concerned may, by way of derogation from Article 2 and Article 3 § l, make use of the transmis-
sion rights acquired.

Art. 4

The Flemish Minister with responsibility for media policy shall be responsible for the implementation of
this Order.

Brussels, 28 May 2004.

The Minister-President of the Flemish Government

B. SOMERS

The Flemish Minister for Housing, Media and Sport

M. KEULEN

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Consolidated list of events of major importance for Belgium

1. Summer Olympic Games

Flemish Community: live and with excerpts

French Community: live and with excerpts

2. Belgian Football Cup Final (men)

Flemish Community: live and in full

French Community: live and in full

3. All matches involving the Belgian men's football team

Flemish Community: live and in full

French Community: live and in full

4. Football World Cup Finals (men)

Flemish Community: live and in full

French Community: live and in full

5. European Football Championship, final round (men)

Flemish Community: live and in full

French Community: live and in full

6. Champion's League, matches involving Belgian clubs

Flemish Community: live and in full

French Community: live and in full

7. UEFA Cup, matches involving Belgian clubs

Flemish Community: live and in full

French Community: live and in full

8. Tour de France, men, professional

Flemish Community: live and with excerpts

French Community: live and with excerpts

9. Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Flemish Community: live and with excerpts

French Community: live and with excerpts

10. Amstel Gold Race

Flemish Community: live and with excerpts

French Community: live and with excerpts

11. Tour of Flanders

Flemish Community: live and with excerpts

French Community: live and with excerpts

12. Paris-Roubaix

Flemish Community: live and with excerpts

French Community: live and with excerpts

13. Milan-San Remo

Flemish Community: live and with excerpts

French Community: live and with excerpts

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14. Belgian Road Cycling Championships, professional (men)

Flemish Community: live and with excerpts

French Community: live and with excerpts

15. World Road Cycling Championships, professional (men)

Flemish Community: live and with excerpts

French Community: live and with excerpts

16. Ivo Van Damme Memorial

Flemish Community: live and in full

French Community: live and in full

17. Belgian Formula 1 Grand Prix

Flemish Community: live and in full

French Community: live and in full

18. The following Grand Slam tennis tournaments: Roland Garros and Wimbledon, quarter finals, semi

finals and finals involving a Belgian player

Flemish Community: live and in full

French Community: live and in full

19. The Davis Cup and the Fed Cup, quarter finals, semi finals and finals involving the Belgian team

Flemish Community: live and in full

French Community: live and in full

20. Queen Elisabeth Music Competition, the final

Flemish Community: live and in full

French Community: live and in full

Events specific to the French list

1. La Flèche wallonne (live and with excerpts ).

2. Winter Olympic Games (live and with excerpts).

3. World Athletics Championships, where Belgian athletes are taking part, live and in full.

Events specific to the Flemish list

1. Champion's League: finals and semi finals, live and in full.

2. UEFA Cup: finals and semi finals, live and in full.

3. Cycling, Paris-Tours and Tour of Lombardy: live and with excerpts.

4. The Belgian and World Cyclo-cross Championships, men, professional: live and in full.

5. The following Grand Slam tennis tournaments: Australian Open and US Open, quarter finals, semi

finals and finals involving a Belgian player, live and in full.