Motion for a resolution | Doc. 13121 | 30 January 2013

Increasing transparency of media ownership

Signatories: Ms Gülsün BİLGEHAN, Turkey, SOC ; Mr Volodymyr ARIEV, Ukraine, NR ; Mr Josep Anton BARDINA PAU, Andorra, ALDE ; Mr Christian BATAILLE, France, SOC ; Mr Michael CONNARTY, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Paolo CORSINI, Italy, SOC ; Ms Ismeta DERVOZ, Bosnia and Herzegovina, EPP/CD ; Ms Josette DURRIEU, France, SOC ; Ms Corina FUSU, Republic of Moldova, ALDE ; Ms Carina HÄGG, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Mogens JENSEN, Denmark, SOC ; Mr Mats JOHANSSON, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Mr Birkir Jón JÓNSSON, Iceland, ALDE ; Mr Haluk KOÇ, Turkey, SOC ; Ms Elvira KOVÁCS, Serbia, EPP/CD ; Mr Jean-Yves LE DÉAUT, France, SOC ; Mr Volodymyr PYLYPENKO, Ukraine, SOC ; Mr Ludo SANNEN, Belgium, SOC ; Mr André SCHNEIDER, France, EPP/CD ; Ms Gisela WURM, Austria, SOC

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

Since 1994, the Committee of Ministers Recommendation No. R(94)13 on measures to promote media transparency calls on member States to ensure that « Members of the public should have access on an equitable and impartial basis to certain basic information on the media so as to enable them to form an opinion on the value to be given to information, ideas and opinions disseminated by the media. » This concerns in particular the ownership over media outlets.

The Parliamentary Assembly welcomes the recent research by Access Info Europe on the transparency of media ownership, which shows that many member States have not taken the measures required to ensure such transparency. Lack of publicity requirements, disguised ownership and delocalisation of company seats to countries without any transparency requirements are only a few of the obstacles identified.

Through globalisation and the digital revolution of the media, national borders are no longer an obstacle for the dissemination of media. Therefore, it is necessary to adapt the existing standards of media transparency in Europe and the Assembly should make proposals on this matter.