The European media sector, through the voice of public and commercial broadcasters, radios and the press, acknowledges the General Approach adopted by the Council of the European Union on the Digital Markets Act (“DMA”). This step forward reflects the political consensus across Member States that swift action is required to rebalance the digital competitive environment in order to preserve a diverse, vivid and innovative media landscape.

EMMA, the European Magazine Media Association, and ENPA, the European Newspaper Publishers Association, speak on behalf of European press publishers publishing over 50.000 magazine and newspaper titles (online and in print) as well as 20 corporate media groups.

EMMA and ENPA have worked with 12 other associations to produce a compendium of examples of how the e-Evidence regulation proposal currently being discussed in trilogues represents a threat to fundamental rights. In particular, the lack of involvement of judicial authorities in the receiving Member States in case of cross-border criminal investigation deprives journalists of the necessary procedural safeguards regarding the confidentiality of their communications. As such, the proposal puts freedom of expression at risk and could have a chilling effect on the press.

In view of the European Council on the 21-22 October, EMMA and ENPA call upon the heads of state and government of the European Union not to give their go-ahead to a “Digital Markets Act” that does not meet the requirements of finally curtailing the power of digital gatekeepers.