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At a recent meeting on culture, the Council of the European Union turned its attention once again to the protection of minors and human dignity. The Council's Conclusions trace - at length - the instruments and initiatives adopted in these areas in recent times. The Council offered, in particular, its reaction to the Commission's Evaluation Report of 27 February 2001 on the application of the Council Recommendation 98/560/EC of 24 September 1998 concerning the protection of minors and human dignity (see IRIS 2001-5: 4 and IRIS 1998-10: 5). While broadly welcoming the Report, the Council took note...

On 22 June 2001, the Council of Europe Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC), an intergovernmental expert body reporting to the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers, approved the final draft of the cyber-crime Convention. The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly had given its opinion on the draft in April this year (see IRIS 2001-5: 3). The Convention, which should be examined and probably adopted by the Committee of Ministers in September this year, will be the first international treaty on computer and computer-related crimes dealing with illegal access and interception, infringements...

On 16 May 2001, following a highly controversial episode in a reality show, the Alta Autoridade para a Comunicação Social (the High Authority for the Media) decided to take a stand on the issue. On 15 May 2001, during prime time, the private terrestrial channel Sociedade Independente de Comunicação (SIC) broadcast an emotional row between a contestant in Bar da TV (a "Big Brother" type of programme) and her parents. Shocked by erotic behaviour in Bar da TV, the parents of a female contestant, Margarida, asked the production team to let them talk to their daughter. The live broadcast of a tearful...

In April 2001, the Parliament of the Autonomous Community of Madrid decided to pass a new Act on Audiovisual Content and Additional Services. This Act implements some provisions of the national Act 25/1994 (as amended by Act 22/1999), which incorporates the "Television Without Frontiers" Directive into Spanish Law. The new Madrid Act deals expressly with the protection of minors and with the right of TV users to receive accurate information on the programme planning of TV channels, as recognised by Article 18 of Act 25/1994. It ought to be pointed out that this new Madrid Act does not cover some...

In mid-May, the Saarland regional government published a draft Media Bill which, for the first time in the history of German media legislation, would establish a single regulatory framework for the press, broadcasting and new media. The Bill aims to create a legal framework which emphasises the freedom of all mass media to fulfil their public duties, to lay down common minimum standards for the protection of important social values (particularly human dignity) and interests (mainly the protection of minors and consumers), to promote self-regulation by the media and media supervisory bodies as...