EMFA Guidelines - Prominence of audiovisual media services of general interest

The debate on the appropriate prominence of audiovisual media services of general interest is ongoing as the media landscape is developing rapidly and market dynamics continue to be high. Throughout recent years, the concept has been applied in a divergent manner in those Member States which chose to impose such regulation, leading to increasing fragmentation. 

The European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) now opens up the possibility for the European Commission to issue guidelines on the appropriate prominence of audiovisual media services of general interest under Article 16 (2) (a) EMFA. This enables the rapid provision of a practical framework to ensure a conceptual common
understanding. 

Against this background, Bitkom calls on the European Commission, when drafting the aforementioned guidelines, to provide legal certainty and strengthen the internal market in accordance with the observations made in the position paper.