EU media law passes, big changes might be coming

At the heart of the debate is the protection of journalists against interception and surveillance, including the use of spyware. The new EU agreement includes measures to prevent unwarranted surveillance of journalists and to protect journalists' sources, with limited exceptions for serious crimes. The national security exception, which was initially proposed but later dropped, has been a source of controversy during the negotiations, Euractiv reports.

The EMFA sets out obligations for EU countries to ensure that readers have the right to access diverse, editorially independent media content. Independence of public service media, media ownership databases, transparent allocation of public money for advertising and regulation of media market concentration are also part of the agreement. In addition, the creation of the European Media Services Board is intended to replace the European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services, which raises concerns about independence from the European Commission.

Despite the breakthrough, the controversial nature of some of the provisions, including the authorisation of wiretapping for national security reasons, will pose a challenge in the implementation phase.

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