On 12 June the Culture Commission of the European Parliament approved a draft report on the application of the “Television without frontiers” (Twf) directive. The text, which will be examined by the European Parliament in September this year, underlines the need to achieve a reform of the aforesaid directive, taking into account the technological development of the sector and the structural changes taking place in the audiovisuals market. MEPs consider it right that the essential principles of the current directive free circulation of European television transmissions, promotion of independent and recently produced European television programmes, protection of juveniles and public order, safeguard of consumers be maintained and incorporated in a “framework package on contents” aimed at furnishing a global provision for the audiovisuals sector which ought also to make provision for the directives on electronic trade and on copyright, as regards transmission via satellite and re-transmission via cable. The Culture Commission, in stressing that the pluralism of transmissions is an important guarantee for democracy and cultural diversities, asks that any future directive also regulates the ownership of television media with the aim of guaranteeing the pluralism of news and culture.
