European Commission: Modification of the 'Television without Frontiers' Directive

IRIS 1995-7:1/6

Ad van Loon

European Audiovisual Observatory

On 31 May 1995, the European Commission put forward a proposal to amend Council Directive 89/552/EEC on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the pursuit of broadcasting activities.

In its comments on the aforementioned amendment the European Radio and Television Union stressed the following points :

- a regulatory framework is necessary for the field of application of the directive

- the quota of independent productions should not be increased. Measures taken in favour of independent producers should not work against those broadcasters that do not belong to the major media groups.

- extra legislation governing the time needed before showing cinematographic works on the various media should not be needed. There should not be any unnecessarily discriminative restrictions as to people's right of access to television.

- for advertising, sponsoring and teleshopping on television, the differentiation between cinematographic films and those made for TV has not yet been confirmed, as regards intervals between commercial breaks. Advertising limits should not become so complicated as to be unworkable.

- minimum standards also need to be clarified as to the protection of minors and for obscenity and violence on the screen.


References

  • Complementary comments of the European Broadcasting Union on the Commission Proposal on the revision of the “Television without Frontiers” Directive.

  • Commission of the European Communities, Report on application of directive 89/552/EEC and Proposal for a European Parliament and Council directive amending Council Directive 89/552/EEC on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the pursuit of television broadcasting activities, 31 May 1995, COM (95) 86 final.
  • http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:1995:0086:FIN:EN:PDF

This article has been published in IRIS Legal Observations of the European Audiovisual Observatory.