Hans-Gert Pöttering releasing an interview before entering the EC on 19 of June 2008. © Council of the EU

Media pluralism must be safeguarded and all citizens should have access to free media, MEPs underline in a resolution adopted on Thursday. To prevent owners, shareholders or governments from interfering with editorial content, MEPs advocate creation of editorial charters. They also encourage an open discussion of the status of weblogs.
The European Parliament adopted a resolution by 307 votes in favour to 262 against urging the Commission and the Member states to safeguard media pluralism and ensure that all EU citizens can access free and diversified media. The resolution, drafted by the PES, the ALDE and the Greens/EFA group is a revised version of a report drafted by Marianne MIKKO (PES, ET) and the Committee on Culture and Education.
 
Ensure journalistic independence
 
In the resolution, MEPs stress the need to ensure journalistic and editorial independence and suggest editorial charters to prevent owners, shareholders or outside bodies such as governments from interfering with news content.  To shed light over the aims and background of the broadcasters and publishers, the resolution also encourages the disclosure of ownership of all media outlets.  MEPs also voice concern over the media's ability to carry out the role of a watchdog of democracy, when private media enterprises are motivated by financial profit, and warn that this could lead to loss of diversity. The resolution considers that competition law and media law should be interlinked to avoid conflicts between media ownership concentration and political power
 
Status of bloggers should be discussed
 
Weblogs represent an important new contribution to freedom of expression and are often used by both media professionals and private persons. Therefore MEPs encourage an open discussion on all issues relating to the status of weblogs.  On this point the resolution is slightly different from the proposal from the Committee on Culture and Education, that suggested a 'clarification' of the status of weblogs and sites based on user-generated content, assimilating them for legal purposes with any other form of public expression.
 
During the presentation of the report Monday evening, Mrs Mikko responded to the concerns of many bloggers: "My entrance into cyberspace has created rapid reaction among a lot of bloggers. I shall make it clear now that nobody is interested in regulating the internet," she said.
 
MEPs also underline the importance of the protection of copyrights online, insisting that third parties have to mention the source when taking over declarations, call for greater transparency with respect to personal data kept on users by search engines, email providers and social networking sites.

Contact
Malene CHAUCHEPRAT
E-mail address : presse-dk@europarl.europa.eu
Telephone number in Brussels : (32-2) 28 42530 (BXL)
Telephone number in Strasbourg : (33-3) 881 64123 (STR)
Mobile number : (+32) 498 98 33 25

Richard FREEDMAN
E-mail address : press-EN@europarl.europa.eu
Telephone number in Brussels : (32-2) 28 41448 (BXL)
Telephone number in Strasbourg : (33-3) 881 73785 (STR)
Mobile number : (+32) 498 98 32 39