Germany

[DE] Federation and Länder Discuss Media Law

IRIS 2001-9:1/34

Alexander Scheuer

Institute of European Media Law (EMR), Saarbrücken/Brussels

In talks held at the end of August between representatives of the Federation and the Länder, basic principles for a restructuring of German media regulations were discussed.

As the digitisation of content and transmission networks in the various forms of media continues, the need to re-assign responsibilities at national and regional levels is being discussed. The main areas of concern are the protection of minors, the legal framework for and monitoring of new media services, competition and media concentration regulations, and data protection.

According to the model which has been proposed and publicised, the Länder's competences for the protection of minors in the electronic media should be combined and, where possible, transferred to a single authority. Regarding media concentration, there should be improved co-operation and closer procedural ties between general competition authorities and specific media regulators. In relation to the protection of minors in particular, consideration is being given to the integration of self-regulatory mechanisms and, with varying degrees of intensity, to a possible link with a national regulator.