Adoption of the EMFA agreement by the European Parliament

The EMFA (European Media Freedom Act) agreement was adopted by the European Parliament at its plenary meeting on 13 March 2024. The vote was conclusive, with 464 votes in favour, 92 against and 65 abstentions. This legislation aims to ensure the financial stability of public service media and promote transparency of media ownership, while prohibiting the spying on journalists, except in specific circumstances.
ALIA recognises the importance of this legislation for the EU media sector and its potential contribution to preserving media freedom and pluralism in the European Union. At the same time, the Authority has reservations about certain provisions relating to third-country providers of audiovisual media services. In particular, it expresses concerns about extending the scope of regulation to a broader category of providers from outside the EU. ALIA is concerned that this extension may ultimately weaken the country of origin principle, which is one of the fundamental pillars of the functioning of European regulation, and that this may compromise the legal security of the service providers concerned.
ALIA also emphasises that effective implementation of the EMFA throughout the European Union will require the allocation of adequate human and financial resources to all national regulatory authorities.