News

The European Newspaper Publishers Association (ENPA) and the European Magazine Media Association (EMMA) welcome today’s launch of an antitrust investigation by DG Competition to assess whether Google’s position in the advertising market constitutes a violation of competition law.

A dictator on our continent imprisons journalists and crushes freedoms.By hijacking a European airline flight between two EU capitals to capture an opposition journalist, the Bielorusia regime has committed a brutal attack on the fundamental value of democracy, shared by all Europeans, freedom of expression and against freedom of the press.

EMMA, the European Magazine Media Association and ENPA, the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association have taken note with concern of the Commission’s published Guidance to strengthen the Code of Practice on Disinformation.

Europe’s media sector, represented by the undersigned organisations, welcomes the Commission’s proposal on the Digital Markets Act (DMA) as a much needed and urgent step towards establishing a fair, balanced and contestable digital market.

On the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day and as Europe still grasps with the unprecedented repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic, EMMA and ENPA want to reiterate the fundamental importance of upholding press freedom across Europe.

European press publishers welcome the focus of this year’s World Intellectual Property Day on small businesses. The diversity and pluralism of the press in Europe has been historically built and relies on small and medium-sized publishers.

The European Newspaper Publishers’ Association (ENPA) and the European Magazine Media Association (EMMA) are greatly concerned about the statement from Google on 3 March concerning its proposed model following the phase-out of third-party cookies on its services. The company had previously announced its intention to implement such a phase-out by the end of 2022. This will affect the advertising market and disrupt the business model of the digital press.

Europe’s press publishers and Microsoft today agreed to work together on a solution to ensure that Europe’s press publishers get paid for the use of their content by gatekeepers that have dominant market power in line with the objectives of the new neighbouring right in the EU Digital Single Market Copyright Directive, which comes into force this June and to take inspiration from the new Australian legislation that requires the tech gatekeepers covered by that law to share revenue with news organisations.

Yesterday, the Council of the European Union reached an agreement on the proposal for an e-Privacy Regulation, clearing the way for the start of the trilogues with the European Parliament and the European Commission.

It is an important first step that Google recognises the publishers’ right for the members of the Alliance de la Presse d'Information Générale (APIG), who are part of the rightsholders in France.

Today’s adoption by the European Commission of its proposals on the regulation of digital platforms with the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Market Act (DMA) leaves many questions open and further need for discussion. EMMA and ENPA had expected more concrete and far-reaching proposals on regulating the market behaviour of market dominant gatekeepers in the Digital Market Act. The DMA must entail a specific obligation for the gatekeepers to grant all legal publications and offerings non-discriminatory access and fair terms and conditions for their services. Likewise, it must include an obligation for market dominant platforms to enter into negotiations with all legal publications and offer fair payment for their content.

The European Federation of Journalists together with EMMA, the European Magazine Media Association and ENPA, the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association, acknowledge yesterday’s vote in the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) on the Report for a Regulation on European Production and Preservation Orders for electronic information in criminal proceedings (E-Evidence Regulation). Despite the efforts by the European Parliament to address several issues contained in the European Commission’s proposal, we regret that some key amendments have been rejected. As a result, the adopted report falls short of the necessary procedural safeguards to protect press and media freedom.

ENPA, the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association and EMMA, the European Magazine Media Association representing tens of thousands press publications across Europe welcome that the Commission is looking into the challenges of media and journalism in Europe, especially as the sector has been severely hit by the COVID-19 crisis.

In the context of the current implementation of the press publishers’ right across Europe and its application in France, EMMA and ENPA would like to stress the necessity to ensure a swift and effective implementation of article 15 of Directive 2019/790 grating a right to press publishers for all publications.

On 23 and on 25 November 2020, a delegation of high-level representatives of the press sector, from EMMA (the European Magazine Media Association) and ENPA (the European Newspaper Publishers Association) had the pleasure to meet Vice-President Jourova and Commissioner Breton to discuss the current and the future challenges of the press in an increasingly digital world. The expressed attention to the needs of the press sector challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the digital transition and how this will be reflected in upcoming initiatives (Media Action Plan) was noted positively. Press publishers have welcomed the upcoming Digital Market Act (DMA) as a mean to enforce neighbouring rights for publishers, and called for an ambitious proposal introducing ex ante rules to ensure that markets characterised by large platforms with significant network effects acting as gatekeepers remain fair and contestable.

EMMA, the European Magazine Media Association and ENPA, the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association which together represent tens of thousands of newspapers and magazines across Europe would like to comment on the report on strengthening media freedom: the protection of journalists in Europe, hate speech, disinformation and the role of platforms which was adopted by the European Parliament’s Plenary today.

European newspaper and magazine publishers across Europe welcome the EU Council Conclusions on safeguarding a free and pluralistic media system that were adopted by ambassadors earlier today. Press publishers consider the conclusions, a set of proposed actions to foster a sustainable, pluralistic and trustworthy media system throughout Europe, a clear recognition of the vital role the media plays in our European democratic system.

Europe’s press publishers, represented by the European Magazine Media Association (EMMA), the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association (ENPA), and the European Publishers’ Council (EPC), strongly support today’s call of 135 tech companies and 30 industry associations for immediate actions of the European Commission against Google’s self-preferencing practices which are harming competition and consumer choice.

On behalf of EMMA (European Magazine Media Association), ENPA (the European Newspaper Association) EPC (European Publishers Council), FEDMA (Federation of European Direct and Interactive Marketing), EGTA (Association of TV and radio sales houses), ZAW (German Advertising Federation), we would like to voice our strong concerns about some key parts of the EP JURI adopted report on the Digital Services Act on 20 October.

Yesterday, the Paris Court of Appeal rejected Google’s request for annulation of the decision held last April by the French Competition Authority.