PRESS RELEASE

-Brussels, 21 October 2020- 

The European Parliament adopted yesterday evening three own-initiative reports on the Digital Services Act (DSA). These reports set out the rules of engagement online and invites responsibility and fair competition to digital markets.

While news publishers welcome the intent of these reports, they remain concerned about regulation and blanket bans on online advertising, as introduced in the report of the Legal Affairs Committee.

Wout van Wijk, Executive Director of News Media Europe, said: “Many publishers across Europe are concerned about how they will pay their staff next month following the impact of the COVID19 pandemic, so the last they need is for Brussels to regulate advertising which is the lifeblood of the press”.

The reports contain important proposals to rebalance the relationship between the media and online platforms, in the form of ex-ante rules for gatekeepers, alongside a renewed commitment to freedom of expression in the online space. The DSA should facilitate the funding of European media by ensuring an enabling framework and without undermining legitimate advertising business models.

Rapid digitisation and the rise of digital gatekeepers have fundamentally reshaped the digital economy, in ways that sit at odds with the public interest. News publishers see the DSA as a unique opportunity to create a more responsible, inclusive and fairer digital economy for consumers and businesses alike.

Wout van Wijk, Executive Director of News Media Europe, said: “Digital gatekeepers like Google and Facebook harm European news publishers and monetise their content through abusive market conduct. They also take no responsibility for any of the content on their platforms. The European Parliament has now pulled the red card, and the European Commission now has the ball”.

About News Media Europe:

News Media Europe (NME) represents the progressive news media industry in Europe – over 2500 European news brands in print or online, and also on radio and tv. NME is committed to maintaining and promoting the freedom of the press, to upholding and enhancing the freedom to publish, and to championing the news brands which are one of the most vital parts of Europe’s creative industries.

For further information please contact:

Wout van Wijk, Executive Director, wout.vanwijk@newsmediaeurope.eu