Press releases
On 24 February 2020, a delegation of high-level representatives of the press sector, members of EMMA (the European Magazine Media Association) and ENPA (the European Newspaper Publishers Association) had the pleasure to meet Executive Vice-President Vestager and her team and to discuss the current and the future priorities of the press and publishing industry. The press representatives have discussed concepts which would ensure fair treatment of the press and publishing sector in a Europe fit for the digital age. They have expressed their support for the Commission’s stated goal of maintaining Europe’s digital leadership where we have it and catching up where we lag behind.
Carlo Perrone, President of ENPA said for EMMA and ENPA: “We are pleased that EVP Vestager, through the historical Google Shopping and Google Android cases, has set the background to build upon in order to consider specific regulation for dominant “mega-platforms” in this legislature. Only specific regulation which would address the behaviour of dominant “mega-platforms” can ensure the proper conditions for the press sector to thrive and serve its profound purpose as the 4th pillar of European democracy.”
Xavier Bouckaert, President of EMMA said « Increasingly, market dominant platforms decide if, where and how citizens access journalistic and editorial offerings. These platforms determine if and how the selected media or content is available. They act as gatekeepers for information crucial to the development of competing business models. We believe that the only effective solution to these market imbalances could be an ex-ante asymmetrical sector-regulation meant to capture the behaviour of market dominant platforms. This regulation should in particular entail an obligation for market dominant platforms to grant all legal publications and offerings non-discriminatory access to their services and ban undue hindering. »
The European Magazine Media Association, is the unique and complete representation of Europe’s magazine media, which is today enjoyed by millions of consumers on various platforms, encompassing both paper and digital formats.
The European Newspaper Publishers’ Association (ENPA) is the largest representative body of newspaper publishers across Europe. ENPA advocates for 14 national associations across 14 European countries, and is a principal interlocutor to the EU institutions and a key driver of media policy debates in the European Union.
