Ruth Hieronymi welcomes the European Commission's Proposal for the Revision of the "TV Directive"

"This proposal is a Work-out Programme for the introduction of Digital television", declared Ruth Hieronymi, Speaker for media policy of the EPP-ED group, welcoming proposal published today by the EU-Commission for the revision of the TV Directive, "since we finally need the same regulation for the same content". Independently of their content digital offers are regarded as services for the information society und are regulated by the directive on e-commerce and competition up until now. .

"Without a revision of the TV directive digital broadcasting would thus be regarded as e-commerce in the framework of the EU", Ruth Hieronymi underlined and explained, "this cannot really be in anybody's interest. Moving pictures will remain of such outstanding importance in our society that they should not be allowed to be treated like goods, be they transmitted by television, PCs or mobile phones".

"Special protection of youth, consumers and the safeguarding of our cultural values needs to be preserved. Certain individual regulations for advertising might be abolished, however, the restriction of 12 minutes of advertising per hour of broadcasting, as proposed by the Commission, must be kept", emphasized Ruth Hieronymi.

For the first time the Commission proposes a regulation on product-placement as an entirely new instrument for advertising. "There is huge need for discussion on this issue", declared Ruth Hieronymi. "Most of all, the impact of product placement on the content-related separation of advertising and actual TV programmes needs to be analysed and assessed, before the Parliament can be able to decide", demanded the speaker for media policy of the EPP-ED group.

Quellenangabe:Ruth Hieronymi (EVP-ED/CDU)