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EUROPEAN BROADCASTERS CALL ON EU COMMISSION TO HELP DEFEND INDEPENDENT MEDIA IN TURKEY

Date

11 Sep 2009

Sections

InfoSociety

Brussels, 11 September 2009 - Europe’s commercial broadcasters today expressed their serious concern over the unprecedented fines totalling $2.5 bn levied by the Turkish tax authorities on Dogan TV Holding, a fine which would represent around 80% of the value of the company, and called on the European Commission to continue to raise this case in negotiations with Turkey.

A particular concern is that this fine is widely believed to have been politically motivated, linked to the
editorial policy of the media group.

Speaking in Brussels, Ross Biggam, Director-General of the Association of Commercial Television, commented:
“Any country wishing to join the European Union must comply with the highest European and international standards in the area of media freedom, including an absolute right for media groups to take a stance which is critical of government. This is not negotiable.

The ACT has raised the issue of the tax treatment of independent media groups in Turkey in the past
with DG Enlargement and we have been satisfied with the assurances we have received from Commissioner Rehn and his team that they take these issues very seriously. We welcome reports that this most recent example of the authorities pressurising Dogan Media will also be taken up in
discussions between Brussels and Ankara”.

About the ACT:
The Association of Commercial Television in Europe (ACT) is a trade association representing the interests of the
commercial broadcasting sector in Europe, including the broadcast interests of Dogan Holdings. The ACT has
twenty seven member companies active in 34 European countries operating more than 400 free-to-air and pay-tv
channels and distributing several hundred channels and new services.

For further information, please see:

www.acte.be

Press contact:
Ross Biggam Utta Tuttlies
Director General Head of Communications
Phone: +32-2-738 76 13 Phone: +32-2-738 76 18
GSM: +32-477-407 733 GSM: +32-495 – 24 64 67
E-mail: rb@acte.be E-mail: ut@acte.be

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