- Europe
- Medias
European Regulators: Free Speech Under Control
While the European Union claims to defend media freedom, a new regulation in fact threatens both pluralism and the sovereignty of Member States in media regulation. MEP Catherine Griset warns against the dangers of this recentralisation and presents a groundbreaking study commissioned by the Patriots for Europe Foundation.
During the previous mandate, the Committee on Culture and Education of the European Parliament was at the heart of debates surrounding the so-called “European Media Freedom Act.” Behind this misleading title, the text primarily aimed to strengthen the ideological control of European institutions over the media landscape.
The political intentions were clear: to sanction countries such as Poland or Hungary, accused of being “too conservative,” and, according to some European sources, to exert pressure on media groups considered too independent or simply non-compliant with the dominant progressive consensus—starting with those owned by Vincent Bolloré, whose only “offense” is to foster media pluralism in France.
The Illusion of Freedom: How Brussels Aims to Rein in National Media
This text represents a clear attempt by the European Union to seize powers at the expense of the principle of subsidiarity. Media regulation falls under national sovereignty: there is no real European media market, but rather national, even local, ecosystems. Imposing centralized oversight is a denial of this reality.
Many voices, including the German Bundesrat, pointed out the disproportionate nature of the legal instrument chosen. A regulation, by definition binding and directly applicable, significantly limits the room for manoeuvre of Member States. A simple recommendation would have sufficed.
What the regulation has concretely led to is the creation of a European Board for Media Services, bringing together all national regulators, such as France’s Arcom. This new European regulator will play a key role in issuing opinions and sanctions. However, its secretariat will be placed under the authority of the European Commission, thereby opening the door to interference in the functioning of this media oversight body.
Despite our warnings, the text was adopted in plenary in October 2023. Today, discussions are underway regarding its practical implementation, and I remain fully committed to this issue, convinced of the serious threat it poses to freedom of expression and media pluralism.
A Study to Understand the Risks of Centralised Media Regulation
It is in this context that I commissioned a study from the Patriots for Europe Foundation, conducted by Maître Gentillet, in order to assess the diversity of national regulators—their models, missions, and practices—as well as the risks involved in placing them under European supervision. This study offers:
A comparative analysis of national regulators: diversity of approaches, institutional independence, relationship with political power and civil society;
A broader perspective on the effects of Europeanizing regulation: what risks of centralization? What mechanisms of democratic control?
The study concludes with a set of concrete proposals aimed at preserving the independence and pluralism of the European media landscape—both essential conditions for the proper functioning of our democracies.
