Motion for a recommendation | Doc. 12752 | 05 October 2011

Revision of the European Convention on transfrontier television

Author(s): several Assembly members

Signatories: Sir Roger GALE, United Kingdom, EDG ; Ms Tina ACKETOFT, Sweden, ALDE ; Mr Mladen BOSIĆ, Bosnia and Herzegovina, EDG ; Lord Tim BOSWELL, United Kingdom, EDG ; Mr Igor CHERNYSHENKO, Russian Federation, EDG ; Mr Christopher CHOPE, United Kingdom, EDG ; Mr James CLAPPISON, United Kingdom, EDG ; Alexander [The Earl of] DUNDEE, United Kingdom, EDG ; Lady Diana ECCLES, United Kingdom, EDG ; Mr Valeriy FEDOROV, Russian Federation, EDG ; Mr Mike HANCOCK, United Kingdom, ALDE ; Mr Margus HANSON, Estonia, ALDE ; Mr Davit HARUTYUNYAN, Armenia, EDG ; Mr Charles KENNEDY, United Kingdom, ALDE ; Mr Terry LEYDEN, Ireland, ALDE ; Mr Sergey MARKOV, Russian Federation, EDG ; Mr Bernard MARQUET, Monaco, ALDE ; Mr Dick MARTY, Switzerland, ALDE ; Mr Armen MELIKYAN, Armenia, ALDE ; Ms Hermine NAGHDALYAN, Armenia, ALDE ; Mr Valery PARFENOV, Russian Federation, EDG ; Mr Alexander POCHINOK, Russian Federation, EDG ; Mr Jørgen POULSEN, Denmark, ALDE ; Mr Paul-Eerik RUMMO, Estonia, ALDE ; Mr Ahmet Kutalmiş TÜRKEŞ, Turkey, EDG ; Mr Tuğrul TÜRKEŞ, Turkey, EDG ; Mr Hansjörg WALTER, Switzerland, ALDE ; Ms Naira ZOHRABYAN, Armenia, ALDE

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

The Parliamentary Assembly deeply regrets the discontinuation, following the intervention of the European Commission, of work upon the vital revision of the European Convention on Transfrontier Television (ETS No. 132).

The Assembly wishes to remind the Committee of Ministers that, in this instance, it is the geographically much greater, the Council of Europe, that includes the lesser, the European Union. Non-European Union Member States have demonstrated a clear wish to adhere to the fundamental Transfrontier Television Convention even though they are not, and may not ever be, bound by the narrower European Union Directive.

While it remains desirable that the European Union Directive remains in harmony with the broader Council of Europe Convention, the Assembly has to reject out of hand the claim, made by European Union Commissioner Ms Kroes, to the effect that “The European Union has exclusive competence to enter into International agreements in the field covered by the European Convention on Transfrontier Television” (Reply from the Committee of Ministers to the Written Question No 591, Doc. 12542).

Patently, the European Union has no competence over matters relating to non-European Union Member States of the Council of Europe that are, nevertheless, signatories to the Council of Europe Convention on Transfrontier Television.

The Assembly therefore calls upon the Committee of Ministers to take into account that while European Union input will, by invitation and on a consultative basis only, be most welcome, work upon the revision of the Council of Europe Convention on Transfrontier Television must proceed without further delay or interference from the European Commission in the interests of the wider Europe not represented by the European Union.