On November 23rd, the European Commission launched infringement procedures against 23 Member States and the United Kingdom for failing to enact the new rules governing EU-wide coordination of audiovisual media, both traditional TV broadcasts and on-demand services, and video-sharing platforms.
The deadline for transposing the revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) into national legislation was 19 September 2020 and only Denmark, Hungary, the Netherlands and Sweden have notified transposition measures and declared their notification complete. All the other “less virtuous” states now have two months to reply to the letter of formal notice.
Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton, commented: “Two years ago, we collectively agreed to upgrade EU rules on audio-visual content. These rules better protect all viewers – in particular the most vulnerable such as minors – foster cultural diversity and safeguard media pluralism. However, they won’t bring any of these benefits if they remain on paper. I call on Member States to enact these rules without further delays to ensure a safer, fairer and more diverse environment online”.
Source: EC Press Release
