Abstract:

The European Union is committed to protecting media pluralism as an essential pillar of the right to information and freedom of expression enshrined in Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights. Since the early nineties the discussion on media pluralism has played an important role within the European Union. The program “Media pluralism ” has three steps: 1. A Commission Staff Working Paper on Media Pluralism. This baseline analysis also includes information on national media ownership regulations and the very diverse regulatory models of the 27 Member States. 2. An independent study on media pluralism in EU Member States to define and test concrete and objective indicators for assessing media pluralism in the EU Member States. 3. A Commission Communication on the indicators for media pluralism in the EU Member States (in 2008), on which a broad public consultation will take place. From the economic point of view, media pluralism means competition on media market. So, the people have access to quality information because of the market competition. Through this program, The European Union supports the development of the media market, the new entrances on market and it is trying to prevent a monopoly situation that will limit the people's right to information