Germany

[DE] Saarland Media Act Enters into Force

IRIS 2002-4:1/9

Yvonne Wildschütz

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

On 14 March 2002 the new Saarländische Mediengesetz (Saarland Media Act) entered into force. This Act contains regulations on the press, the organisation and distribution of broadcasting and media services, the allocation of transmission frequencies and the implementation of trials with new broadcasting techniques and media services (for details on the regulations, see IRIS 2001-6: 4).

This Act replaces the Landesrundfunkgesetz (Saarland Broadcasting Act - LRG) and the Saarländische Pressegesetz (Saarland Press Act - SPresseG).

The new Act does not affect the Staatsvertrag über den Rundfunk im vereinten Deutschland (Inter-State Agreement on broadcasting in the unified Germany), the Staatsvertrag über die Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts „Deutschlandradio" (Inter-State Agreement on the public law corporation "Deutschlandradio"), the Rundfunkfinanzierungsstaatsvertrag (Inter-State Agreement on the financing of broadcasting) or the Mediendienste-Staatsvertrag (Inter-State Agreement on media services).

Existing licences held by private broadcasters and transmission capacity allocations will remain in force.