EUROPEAN MEDIA GOVERNANCE : EUROPEAN BROADCASTING UNION (EBU)

EBU’s Role in Brussels

Among the objectives defined by its statutes, the EBU ‘must act as a professional interlocutor with European institutions and international organisations and, where appropriate contribute to the drafting of legal instruments, and the establishment of standards and norms relating to broadcasting with a view to safeguarding and furthering the interests of its members'.

To achieve this mission, the EBU closely monitors the activities of the European Union and other European and international organisations, whose competence also covers audio-visual media (Council of Europe, WTO, ITU, UNESCO, United Nations). It often attends these organisations’ working sessions as an observer.

With regard to the European Union in particular, the EBU Brussels office, working in close cooperation with representatives of a certain number of its members, plays a highly active role in monitoring EU initiatives. The EBU Permanent Services in Geneva take an active part in fulfilling this mission. The Legal Department, by drafting analyses and amendments proposals, and the Technical Department both have major contributions to make to the EBU’s lobbying activities. Position papers are drawn up in close consultation with all its members and are the result of a general consensus.

The EBU representative office in Brussels has regular contacts with all European Commission services that handle issues likely to have an impact on the work of broadcasting corporations. It also represents the EBU at hearings, seminars and conferences on audio-visual media. It works closely with MEPs and provides input whenever reports are being drawn up that relate to its activities. While the work of the European Council is essentially prepared, at national level, by EBU’s members, the Brussels office provides constant information for the permanent representatives to the European Union. Finally, and this is not the least of its activities, the EBU collaborates with the representatives of other branches of the audio-visual industry and related sectors.

EBU’s main objectives in its contacts with the EU

 Public service broadcasting is the cornerstone of the media in every Member State of the European Union. The dual public service-commercial broadcasting model is a European success story. Everywhere in Europe the coexistence of both public and commercial media benefits television viewers, radio listeners and users of new media as it delivers a fruitful balance between thriving competition, leading to a rich choice of content and services and sustained investment in national and local production, inclusiveness and innovation.

Change in technology, user behaviour and the competitive environment is swift and far-reaching. Convergence is testing the ability of the communications industry to adapt, and public service broadcasters are no exception. In every European country there are undergoing reviews and reform, and each according to the specific context, tradition and structures. Reform often requires difficult decisions. They are necessary to ensure that public service broadcasting remains successful in fulfilling its social, cultural, economic and democratic role within a changing media.

Widespread pubic support is crucial to the success of public service broadcasters. Crucially, the public expects public service broadcasters to deliver an increased dividend on its investment, through the licence fee and other public funding mechanisms, in the form of access to content through new technologies and new media services. Public service broadcasters are committed, in line with the expectations of the public and governments alike and pioneer, to drive the take-up of new media services, to accelerate progress towards the digital world and to ensure that no one is left behind. Throughout Europe public service broadcasters are making an irreplaceable contribution to audio-visual production.

Cooperation with other European and International Organisations

As part of its lobbying activities in Brussels, the EBU works either occasionally or regularly with many different organisations.

The EBU is a member of several very different legal structures, for example:

• European Centre of Enterprises with Public Participation and of Enterprises of General Economic Interest (CEEP)
• European Internet Foundation
• European Services Forum
• World DAB

  The EBU also collaborates as required with

• Association of Commercial Televisions (ACT)
• Association of European Radios (AER)
• International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
• And also with associations representing writers, cinema producers and distributors, telecommunications, the electronics industry, newspaper publishers etc.

 Outside Europe

• The EBU also contributes to the work of the International Network for Cultural Diversity (INDC) and the Coalition for Cultural Diversity (CCD)
• It also collaborates with the other broadcasting unions within the World Broadcasting Union (WBU)