Welcome to EURO-INFO - the Newsletter of the EBU Brussels Office
A full Euro-Info report, as well as more detailed articles for most stories in this newsletter, are available in the EBU members' area,
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EBU sets out recommendations for media freedom and pluralism at EU Fundamental Rights Colloquium
EBU President Jean-Paul Philippot addressed the key contribution public service media makes to media freedom and pluralism at the 2016 Annual Colloquium on Fundamental Rights. EBU News article |
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Commissioner Günther Oettinger to leave Digital Economy and Society portfolio
Günther Oettinger is to replace Kristalina Georgieva as the European Commission's Vice-president for Budget and Human Resources commissioner. Whether he will his appointment EBU members' area |
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EBU presents ‘Generation What’ to European ministers of Culture and Education
The EBU was invited to present the preliminary results of its landmark ‘Generation What’ project to the EU Council on Education, Youth, Culture and Sport on 21 November. - EBU News article |
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- Digital Skills Coalition: The European Commission will organize an event on 1 December with the aim of launching the ‘Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition’. It aims to ‘to develop a large digital talent pool and ensure that individuals and the labour force in Europe are equipped with adequate digital skills.’ For further information about the project and the event, please contact the EBU Brussels Office. - Members' area
- EBU Children's Christmas Screening: The EBU's annual Christmas Screening for kids will take place on Sunday 11 December in Brussels and will feature 'My Knight and me', an RTBF, VRT and Canal+ co-production. For more information, please contact the EBU Brussels Office. |
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| AUDIOVISUAL REGULATION |
- AVMSD: Over 1000 amendments have been tabled in the European Parliament's Culture Committee. The vote in the Committee is now expected to take place in February or March next year. - Members' area - Documents
- Accessibility: Danish Liberal MEP Morten Lokkegaard has been appointed as rapporteur for the EU accessibility act in the European Parliament's Internal Market. - Members' area - Documents |
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| MEDIA DISTRIBUTION |
| - Telecoms Package: Spanish MEP, Pilar del Castillo has been named as rapporteur for the European Parliament on the EU telecoms reform. The European Parliament's proceedings around the proposed EU Telecoms reform are not expected to start until early 2017. - Members' area - Documents |
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| COPYRIGHT AND LICENSING |
- Broadcasters online: German Socialist MEP Dietmar Köster has been handed the task of shepherding the Commission proposal for a Regulation on copyright and related rights applicable to certain online transmissions of broadcasting organisations and retransmissions of television and radio programmes. Petra Kammerevert will deliver an Opinion on behalf of the Culture Committee. - Members' area - Documents
- Content portability: The European Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee vote on the portability Regulation has been delayed. The vote is now expected to take place on 29 November 2016. - Members' area - Documents
- Geo-blocking Regulation: The EBU has been told that the European Parliament's Committee for the Internal Market will not seek to include audiovisual services in the scope of the Geo-blocking Regulation. - Members' area |
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| DATA AND PRIVACY |
- Free flow of data: A Commission's initiative addressing unjustified data location restrictions and a Communication on the emerging issues of data ownership, access and liability are in the pipeline. - Members' area
- Big Data: The European Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee is in the process of drafting an Own-Initiative-Report on the “Fundamental rights implications of big data: privacy, data protection, non-discrimination, security and law-enforcement.” - Members' area |
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| TRADE |
| - EU-Canada: The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) was adopted by the Council and signed at the EU-Canada Summit on 30 October 2016, following a last minute deal with the Belgian region of Wallonia's Parliament on Friday 28 October.
- Members' area
- Trade and data flows: EU data protection rules are said to be seen as an obstacle by its potential trading partners. This is particularly the case for the Trade in Services Agreement, where some partners may consider moving ahead on the agreement without the EU if it does not propose any wording to address the issue. This issue has led to an internal battle within the European Commission between DG Just and DG Trade. - Members' area
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| EU INSTITUTIONS |
- Enlargement policy: On 9 November, the European Commission adopted its annual Enlargement Package. The strategy report, together with the country reports, is available on the DG NEAR webpage. According to the reports, freedom of expression and media remains a concern in most enlargement countries, albeit to different degrees. - Members' area
- Commission Work programme: The European Commission presented its annual work programme for 2017 on 25 October. The work programme, alongside annexes which cover policy initiatives in detail, outline annual policy priorities for the upcoming year. - Members' area |
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| CULTURE POLICY |
| - Cultural and creative industries: The European Parliament has adopted an Own-Initiative Report on the future of Cultural and Creative Industries. - Members' area |
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