COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,update

 

Press material Friday 15 December 2023

● General Secretariat   15/12/2023 17:50 | Press release | Forward look: 18- 31 December 2023   Overview of the main topics and events at the Council of EU and European Council for the coming fortnight. The General Secretariat of the Council will be closed for the winter holidays from 23 December to 3 January 2024. The next issue of the Forward Look will be published on 12 January 2024. Environment Council, 18 December 2023 EU environment ministers will seek a general approach on a proposal for a regulation on packaging and packaging waste that would replace the existing directive. Over lunch, ministers will be joined by prof. Edenhofer, chair of the European scientific advisory board on climate change, to have an informal discussion on the EU climate target for 2040. Ministers will also hold policy debates on a proposed directive on soil monitoring and resilience and a recently adopted regulation proposal for an EU forest monitoring framework, following a presentation on the latter by the Commission. Under other business, the Commission and the presidency will report to the ministers on the main recent international meetings, including COP28. Read more Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council (Energy), 19 December 2023 Ministers will seek political agreement to extend three emergency Council regulations, adopted in December 2022 under Article 122 TFEU. The emergency measures were adopted last year following Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, in order to enhance solidarity between member states, accelerate the deployment of renewable energy and protect the EU’s citizens from excessively high energy prices. Under other business, the presidency will inform ministers about current legislative proposals. Ukrainian minister of energy German Galushchenko will join remotely to inform ministers about the energy situation in Ukraine. The Commission will provide ministers with information on recent developments in the field of external energy relations, winter preparedness, its assessment of the draft update national energy and climate plans, and the urgency of implementing the renewables directive and the energy efficiency directive. Lithuania will inform ministers about persistent concerns over nuclear safety and transparency upon the start of the commercial operation of the second Belarusian NPP unit. Finland will inform ministers on the event in the electricity day ahead markets on 23 November. Belgium will present the work programme of the incoming presidency. Read more Informal video conference of economy and finance ministers, 20 December 2023 EU ministers of economic and financial affairs will hold an informal videoconference to discuss economic governance in the EU. Read more Indicative calendar of meetings under the Belgian presidency (1 January - 30 June 2024) Belgian presidency website

15/12/2023 | Article Pedro Sánchez: "We will work until the last moment of the presidency" The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, has discussed the main achievements of the Spanish presidency of the Council of the EU at the end of the European Council, which took place in Brussels on 14 and 15 December, and was marked by the agreement reached for the enlargement of the EU.

Press material Friday 15 December 2023

● European Council   15/12/2023 16:24 | Conclusions | European Council conclusions, 14 and 15 December 2023   On 14 and 15 December, the European Council adopted conclusions on Ukraine, Middle East, enlargement and reforms, multiannual financial framework 2021-2027, security and defence, migration and other items, EU-Türkiye relations, fight against antisemitism, racism and xenophobia, and strategic agenda. European Council conclusions, 14 and 15 December 2023

Press material Friday 15 December 2023

● Council of the EU   15/12/2023 16:20 | Press release | Council and Parliament strike deal on new rules to safeguard media freedom, media pluralism and editorial independence in the EU   The Council has reached a provisional agreement with the European Parliament on a new law to safeguard media freedom, media pluralism and editorial independence in the EU. The European media freedom act (EMFA) will establish a common framework for media services in the EU’s internal market and introduce measures aimed at protecting journalists and media providers from political interference, while also making it easier for them to operate across the EU’s internal borders. The new rules will guarantee the right of citizens to access free and plural information and define the responsibility of member states to provide the appropriate conditions and framework to protect it. "Democracy cannot exist without media freedom, independence and plurality. Today’s agreement confirms the EU’s position as a world leader in protecting journalists, guaranteeing the independence of media providers, and ensuring that citizens have access to a wide and diverse range of reliable news sources." Ernest Urtasun i Domènech, Spanish Minister for Culture Growing threat to media freedom The proposed regulation responds to rising concerns in the EU about the politicisation of the media and the lack of transparency of media ownership and of allocation of state advertising funds to media service providers. It seeks to put in place safeguards to combat political interference in editorial decisions for both private and public service media providers, protect journalists and their sources, and guarantee media freedom and pluralism. A new media services board The EMFA builds on the provisions of the 2018 audiovisual media services directive (AVMSD), and broadens its scope to include radio and press. In particular, it introduces an independent European board for media services (‘the Board’) to replace the regulators group (ERGA) established under the AVMSD. The board will be composed of national media authorities and will advise and support the Commission to promote the consistent application of key provisions of the new EMFA law and the AVMSD in all member states, including by providing opinions and helping the Commission to produce guidelines. Elements of the compromise The compromise text provisionally agreed between the co-legislators maintains the ambition and objectives of the Commission’s proposal while ensuring that the new law is consistent with existing EU legislation, respects national competences in this area, and strikes the right balance between the necessary harmonisation and respect for national differences. In particular, the provisional agreement: clarifies the responsibility of the member states to guarantee the plurality, independence and proper functioning of public media providers operating within their borders sets out the obligation for member states to guarantee the effective protection of journalists and media providers in the exercise of their professional activity prohibits member states from using coercive measures to obtain information about journalists’ sources or confidential communications except in specified cases broadens the scope of the requirements on transparency, both for transparency of ownership which is proposed to apply for all media service providers and for the transparency of state advertising where the possibility of national exemptions for small entities is significantly reduced provides clearer rules on the relationship between very large online platform providers (VLOPs) and media service providers that adhere to regulatory or self-regulatory regimes of editorial control and journalistic standards in member states, with the aim to ensure that content provided by media service providers is treated with extra care allows media service providers to respond within 24 hours, or earlier in cases of emergency, if a VLOP decides to remove their content on the grounds of incompatibility with its terms and conditions The deal with the Parliament determines the scope of the Board in its advisory role and strengthens its independence. It also introduces the possibility for the Board to set up a steering group, as well as to consult media representatives on issues beyond the scope of the audiovisual media sector. Finally, member states will be able to adopt stricter or more detailed rules than those set out in relevant parts of the EMFA. Next steps Today's provisional agreement must be endorsed by the Council and the Parliament once the text has been finalised at technical level. It will then be formally adopted by both institutions in the spring of 2024. Negotiations between the two co-legislators were launched on 19 October 2023 and are concluded at political level with today's agreement. Background Media freedom and pluralism are enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the European Convention on Human Rights. However, recent reports from the Commission and the media pluralism monitor have highlighted a number of concerns in the EU regarding issues such as the politicisation of the media, transparency of media ownership and the independence of media regulators. On 16 September 2022 the Commission published its proposal for a regulation establishing a common framework for media services in the internal market. The EMFA proposal set out new rules to protect media pluralism and independence in the EU. The Council secured a mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament on 21 June 2023, and it was revised on 22 November 2023. Media freedom in the EU (background information)