22.9.2022
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
L 245/59
be considered as depriving media owners of their role in setting strategic goals and fostering the growth and financial viability of their companies.
In addition, the leading role played by media service providers and journalists in developing internal safeguards and self-regulatory instruments should be recognised.
(18)
This Recommendation is based on exchanges with concerned stakeholders, notably journalists, media companies and their associations.
It builds on the discussions at the European News Media Forum (14), in particular the second edition held on 29 November 2021, which discussed the media sector’s industrial transformation and related challenges (15).
It also takes account of the existing industry initiatives, including the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) by Reporters without Borders and its partners, which aim to foster a healthier information space supported by industry standards.
(19)
The recommended measures build on initiatives that test new business models and collaborations, such as those financed under the journalism partnerships action supported by the Creative Europe programme (16).
They also build on the financial support schemes and priorities outlined in the Media and audiovisual action plan, as part of EU-level efforts to support an industrial ecosystem for news media.
Furthermore, certain media service providers have resorted to governance structures where non-profit entities, such as trusts or foundations, hold the entirety or a part of their capital and, in some cases, have an important role in appointing the management boards and the editors-in-chief, which are considered to serve to preserve the editorial independence of the provider in a long term.
Other governance mechanisms with similar goals include journalistic shareholdership arrangements where members of the editorial staff or their representative bodies control part of the shares or have the power to refuse the entry of a new controlling shareholder that may affect editorial independence.
Based on this, the recommended measures reference possible approaches that media service providers may consider to increase their sustainability, and thus resilience to political and market pressures, noting that they remain best placed, as economic operators, to develop the business models that fit their objectives and capacities, according to the market segments they target.
(20)
This Recommendation also aims to further promote media ownership transparency across the Union.
Currently, international standards (17) and Union media legislation encourage Member States to adopt sector-specific measures to increase media ownership transparency.
In particular, Article 5(2) of the Directive 2010/13/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (18) recognises that Member States may require media service providers under their jurisdiction to make accessible information concerning their ownership structure, including information on their beneficial owners, consistent with the general rules on beneficial ownership transparency set out in Directive (EU) 2015/849 of the European Parliament and of the Council (19).
The 2018 Council of Europe Recommendation on media pluralism and transparency of media ownership calls on member States to put in place frameworks for the disclosure of accurate and up-to-date information concerning direct and beneficial media ownership.
Moreover, the Commission is co-financing the development of the Euromedia Ownership Monitor, which aims to design a searchable and scalable database to provide free and user-friendly information about media ownership across the Union.
(14) The European News Media Forum was set up by the Commission under the Media and audiovisual action plan to strengthen cooperation with stakeholders on media-related issues.
(15) See the recordings and summary of the event: https://digital-strategy.
ec.europa.eu/en/library/european-news-media-forum-industrialtransformation-glance (16) Regulation (EU) 2021/818 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2021 establishing the Creative Europe Programme (2021 to 2027) and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1295/2013 (OJ L 189, 28.5.2021, p. 34).
(17) Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)1 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on media pluralism and transparency of media ownership.
(18) Directive 2010/13/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 March 2010 on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the provision of audiovisual media services (Audiovisual Media Services Directive) (OJ L 95, 15.4.2010, p. 1).
(19) Directive (EU) 2015/849 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2015 on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing, amending Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Directive 2005/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Commission Directive 2006/70/EC (OJ L 141, 5.6.2015, p. 73).