Media freedom and pluralism: launch of the media ownership monitoring project

Today the Commission has kick-started the EU-funded Euromedia Ownership Monitor. The monitor, coordinated by the Paris Lodron Universitat Salzburg, will provide a country-based database containing information on media ownership, as well as systematically assess relevant legal frameworks and identify possible risks to media ownership transparency. Vice-President for Values and Transparency, Věra Jourová, said: “It's getting increasingly difficult to understand who owns the media in the EU. This cannot be the case, because in democracy people deserve to know who provides them with information. This new tool will help inform the understanding of the media market and future policy initiatives.” Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton, added: “As a key pillar of our democracies, it is crucial to address and highlight the existing threats to independent media. We remain determined to present new initiatives such as the Media Freedom Act and increase our support for projects promoting transparency in the sector.” This new tool will inform policy and regulatory assessments and initiatives dedicated to supporting media freedom and pluralism. It will pinpoint where media ownership lies, making potential concentration issues more visible and thereby increase the understanding of the media market. The amount of EU support dedicated to the project is €1 million and the project is expected to last until September 2022. Furthermore, a second call for proposals will be published in the coming weeks. The beneficiaries of this pilot project have been selected following a call for proposals, targeting stakeholders working in the field of media freedom and pluralism at a European, regional, and local level. This initiative is part of a broader effort in the field of media freedom and pluralism, as outlined in the European Democracy Action Plan.