Search results : 103

On 22 March 2006, negotiations between the European Commission and the Portuguese authorities concerning the funding scheme of the Portuguese public service broadcaster were finalized. The Commission closed the investigation it had initiated towards the end of 2003 after receiving a number of commitments bent on improving both the transparency and the proportionality of the Portuguese financing system. Though Commission officials recognize that public broadcasters must benefit from stable financing, their prime concern is also to ensure that no market distortions arise as a consequence of the national...

On 15 December 2005, the Portuguese Parliament approved Law proposal nº 12/X creating both a listeners' ombudsman and a viewers' ombudsman for the radio and television public services (see IRIS 2005-7: 17). The Law proposal's main purpose in establishing these two new bodies is to promote independence from the State as well as public scrutiny in programming matters. According to article nº 6 (1) of Law proposal nº 12/X, both the radio ombudsman and the television ombudsman shall have the following competences: a) to receive and evaluate complaints and suggestions from listeners and spectators;...

The Portuguese Parliament has approved the creation of a new media regulatory body by a substantial majority. The initial governmental proposal underwent a few changes allowing it to gather the favourable vote of more than two thirds of the Assembly (MPs from the Socialist Party, the Social Democratic Party, and the Popular Party). The Entidade Reguladora para a Comunicação Social (Media Regulatory Entity) will in effect replace the High Authority for Media (the Act 43/98 of 6 August 1998 is revoked by the new act on the Media Regulatory Entity) following the necessary presidential ratification....

On 10 August 2005, the Portuguese Autoridade da Concorrência (Competition Authority) decided to approve the concentration operation involving Controlinveste, SGPS, S.A. and Lusomundo Serviços, SGPS, S.A. The decision found its justification in the argument that such an operation was not “susceptible of creating or reinforcing a dominant position from which significant impediments to competition in the general national written press market might arise”. This operation, of which the Competition Authority had been notified on 9 March, has led to Controlinveste's purchase of PT Multimedia's entire...

The Portuguese government has presented to Parliament a proposal for a Law to create a new media regulatory body. Given the Socialist Party's absolute majority in the Chamber the project, which is now under discussion, should be approved without significant changes. The new media regulatory entity will - according to the proposal - be composed of a five member regulatory council (four of them to be nominated by Parliament) article 14, an executive board (where two of its three members will be the president and the vice-president of the regulatory council) article 32, and a fiscal member (also nominated...