Activities of Dace MELBĀRDE related to 2021/2017(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Europe’s Media in the Digital Decade (short presentation)
Reports (1)
REPORT on Europe’s Media in the Digital Decade: an Action Plan to Support Recovery and Transformation
Amendments (28)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 a (new)
Citation 2 a (new)
— having regard to the Protocol on the system of public broadcasting in the Member States annexed to the Treaty establishing the European Community (Amsterdam protocol),
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)
Citation 9 a (new)
— having regard to the Council conclusions on the recovery, resilience and sustainability of the cultural and creative sectors of 18 May 2021,
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 b (new)
Citation 9 b (new)
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 c (new)
Citation 9 c (new)
— having regard to the Council conclusions on strengthening resilience and countering hybrid threats, including disinformation in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic of 15 December 2020,
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the cultural and creative sectors, of which news media and audiovisual sectors(including all editorial media such as television, radio, print and digital media) and audiovisual sectors (covering players of broadcasting, video and multimedia industries across different stages of the value chain – from the development to exhibition) are an integral part, have been among the hardest hit by the fallout from COVID-19; whereas these sectors are also expected to recover at a more moderate pace than the general economy;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the audiovisual sector plays a vital part in fostering the resilience of our democratic societies; whereas the news media and audiovisual sectors are mostly composed of SMEs; whereas the heterogeneity of these sectors is also one of its strengths, helping to promote and strengthen Europe’s cultural, linguistic, social and political diversity;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Welcomes the creation of a tailor- made interactive tool helping media companies to access the EU funding opportunities; considers that smaller media organisation in particular could benefit largely from customised training and support;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Highlights the importance of the cross-sectoral strand in the Creative Europe programme, which for the first time provides for actions focused on the news media; considers, however, that the support is inadequate given the financial needs of the sector; calls on the Commission to increase financing to the news media sector under the cross- sectoral strand already within this programming period;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Welcomes establishement of an equity-based pilot through InvestEU, that will be able to support the news media sector in innovative ways; calls on the Commission to provide this pilot with adequate financial means;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Acknowledges that some parts of the audiovisual ecosystem are not covered by current support measures; invites the Commission to continue exploring tailored support schemes, such as insurance guarantees for co-production; urges particular attention be paid in all support actions to Member States with low audiovisual production capacity;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Believes that favourable tax policies can help recovery and resilience of thesmedia and cultural and creative sectors; encourages Member States with adequate fiscal scope to help boost media and cinema consumption through VAT rates that accommodate this;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Considers that support for strengthening independent mediaand pluralistic media sector and media and information literacy should also be an integral part of the EU’s foreign policy; stresses that stronger political and financial support is needed in particular in the European Neighbourhood and Enlargement region;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Draws attention to the fact that the current crisis risks speeding up news media consolidation to the detriment of media pluralism in the Union; considers that these trends are particularly unwelcome in smaller markets where the choice is already limited; notes that whilst as a last resort mergers can benefit the smaller players whereby their consolidation effectively prevents bankruptcies, warns at the same time that such consolidations must not be accepted as a norm; asks, therefore, for the competition authorities to remain vigilant and consider the long-term impact of mergers and acquisitions not only on market share, but also on linguistic and cultural diversity;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Notes with concern that global online platforms have a vast disruptive impact on the media sector, as they dominate the data and advertising market, and have radically changed audience consumption patterns; underlines the need for a level playing field; in this respect stresses that current legislation does not regulate pivotal issues in the information ecosystem such as access to data, digital advertising, algorithmic transparency, platform accountability, must-show and other questions; considers that timely adoption of the relevant legislation to help address these shortcomings is a matter of urgency, notably the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Considers the importance of implementation and enforcement of the AVMSD and Copyright directive; encourages the Commission to explore how to assist the media sector in respect to the new neighbouring right to ensure a possibility for fair negotiations with the platforms; recognises that the role and capacity of European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services (ERGA) should be strengthened;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Recognises the additional challenges for news media operating in smaller markets, including local, regional and niche media, which have limited revenues, and are not viable using current commercial business models, and which cannot embrace new ones that media operating in larger markets can; stresses the emergence of the ‘news deserts’ that can have a significant adverse effect on cultural and linguistic diversity; believes, therefore, that public funding mechanisms that fully respect editorial independence and are based on the arm’s length principle are increasingly necessary;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Stresses that it is essential to ensure and maintain the independence of private and public service media from political interference, including from external actors; acknowledges the specific situation Member States which are exposed to geopolitical risks arising from third country interference in their information space, including through media financing; believes that the best viable antidote is a more robust media landscape with steady revenue streams; considers increased transparency to be important, and therefore welcomes the Media Ownership Monitor initiative; calls on the Commission to ensure a more comprehensive monitoring of the political economy of the news media sector in the European Union and in the European Neighbourhood and Enlargement region;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Believes that the EU can contribute to ensuring that international media freedom standards are further strengthened both within and beyond the EU; believes that the Commission's forthcoming proposal on media freedom ("European Media Freedom Act") could aid such efforts;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Expresses concern about the disruptive trends created by the large platforms, as they can undermine competition in the long term, and reduce opportunities for other actors; asks the Commission to monitor the situation closely and, if appropriate, take necessary action to make conditions for competition more equitable;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Welcomes the progress made in working out a global solution to effectively taxing the digital economy, in particular the June 2021 tax agreement between the G7 countries, based on digital businesses paying tax according to their economic activities in each country; considers that these new sources of revenue should also be channelled by Member States to support their audiovisual and news media sectors;
Amendment 191 #
14. CNotes the fundamentally different challenges of the news media and audiovisual sectors, despite some similarities; considers that, in the absence of an overarching news media policy to date, the news media needs a separate sectoral strategy; calls on the Commission to elaborate comprehensive European news media and audiovisual sector strategies;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Stresses the need for transformation in the news media sector, including through the digitalisation of newsrooms, the uptake of artificial intelligence (AI), changes and improvements to content creation and presentation, as well as better distribution and subscription models, including micro-payments; notes that the above require additional investment and skills that news media sector players often lack, especially those with small market share; calls on the Commission and the Member States to provide tailored support for the digital transformation of the sector; in this regard calls on the Commission to earmark funding for transformation of the sector in Horizon Europe;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. UCalls on the Commission to elaborate overarching media and information literacy strategy; underlines the added value of including the media sector in media and information literacy initiatives;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Acknowledges that the existing creation and distribution models in the European audiovisual sector are largely based on territorial exclusivity, and ownership of intellectual property rights by European players, including independent producers and creators;
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Underlines that video on demand (VOD) platforms and other innovations are reshaping the audiovisual media landscape, and by extension creating challenges and also opportunities for incumbent players; notes that in many respects, an irreversible transformation is under way, with, inter alia, creation of new markets; encourages the sector’s legacy players to entercontinue to enter these new markets and embrace innovative business models; calls on the Commission to conduct a study on the impact of the large VOD platforms on the European audiovisual markets;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21 a. Points to the lack of women in leadership positions and brings attention to the need to increase diversity within the media sector, including through programmes to encourage career in media;
Amendment 258 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Stresses the importance of reducing the audiovisual sector’s carbon footprint, especially at the production stage, which accounts for most CO2 emissions; notes that digital solutions such as virtual production techniques can facilitate this reduction; believes that the current MFF provides a unique opportunity for funding greening projects and reaching net zero emissions for the sector within this decade; calls on the Commission to conduct a study on the CO2 emissions across the value chain and elaborate targeted measures; invites the Commission to support exchange of the best practice in reducing carbon footprint;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Considers that financing for digitisation and promoting the availability of Europe’s audiovisual and film heritage is necessary in order to make it more accessible; calls on the Commission to explore support options for audiovisual and film heritage under the Creative Europe programme;