Assemblée parlementaire du Conseil de l'Europe

1. Recalling the fact that the European Ministers on Mass Media Policy have twice - in 1986 and 1988 - called unanimously for the rapid preparation, within the Council of Europe, of binding legal instruments on certain crucial aspects of transfrontier broadcasting ;

2. Recalling Assembly Recommendation 1067 (1988) on the cultural dimension of broadcasting in Europe ;

3. Reiterating its attachment to freedom of expression and information as defined in Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights ;

4. Stressing the urgency of achieving a framework for transfrontier broadcasting in Europe ;

5. Recognising the achievement of the Steering Committee on the Mass Media in preparing a draft European convention on transfrontier television which was transmitted to the Committee of Ministers in June 1988 ;

6. Regarding the conclusions of the European Ministerial Conference on Mass Media Policy, which was held in Stockholm on 23 and 24 November 1988, as a solemn undertaking by all member governments to resolve the outstanding issues in the draft convention, and welcoming the unanimous request for the Committee of Ministers to complete its work on the convention early in 1989 ;

7. Welcoming also the clear conclusion of the European Council held in Rhodes in December 1988 that the Community's efforts should be deployed in a manner consistent with the Council of Europe convention,

8. Requests the Committee of Ministers urgently to bring its work to an immediate conclusion, to open the convention for signature forthwith and to call for ratification at the earliest possible date.

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1. Assembly debate on 1 February 1989 (21st and 22nd Sittings) (see Doc. 6003, report of the Legal Affairs Committee, Rapporteur : Mr Van Der Sanden).

Text adopted by the Assembly on 1 February 1989 (22nd Sitting).