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News Media Europe

NME

News Media Europe represents over 2,700 European news brands across print, online, radio, and television.

Lobbying Activity

News Media Europe urges limits on public broadcasters' digital expansion

14 Jan 2026
Topic — Evaluation of EU state aid rules governing the funding of public service broadcasting.
Message — The association requests a stricter definition of broadcasting that excludes text-based news to prevent state-funded competition with private publishers. They also demand mandatory market tests for new digital services and commercial licensing terms for online platforms.123
Why — Restricting free state-funded content would help private media grow their digital subscription and advertising revenues.456
Impact — Public broadcasters would lose the flexibility to expand into new digital formats without rigorous oversight.7
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Meeting with David Cormand (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

9 Dec 2025 · Copyright & IA

Meeting with Thomas Schmitz (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen) and Medialiitto ry and

26 Nov 2025 · Media

Meeting with Zoltán Tarr (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

19 Nov 2025 · Exchange of views on Cultural and creative sectors in the age of AI

Meeting with Mario Furore (Member of the European Parliament)

18 Nov 2025 · Copyright and AI

News publishers urge protection for postal delivery of newspapers

17 Nov 2025
Topic — EU reform of postal and parcel delivery services regulation.
Message — The organisation requests that postal regulation explicitly recognise the societal value of printed news distribution and protect it as a cornerstone of European democracy. They want Member States to retain flexibility to introduce legal safeguards guaranteeing reliable and timely delivery of journalistic products.12
Why — This would protect their distribution network and ensure newspapers reach readers on time.34
Impact — Rural citizens lose reliable access to printed journalism if postal protections are weakened.56
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Response to Digital Fairness Act

23 Oct 2025

Please find attached our contribution.
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News Media Europe Demands Sweeping Simplification of EU Digital Rules

14 Oct 2025
Topic — EU digital regulations across data protection, advertising, and AI affecting news publishers.
Message — The organization demands major simplification of GDPR compliance, ePrivacy cookie rules, and political advertising regulations. They want exemptions for media service providers from centralized cookie settings and risk-based approaches that recognize publisher realities. They insist AI Act simplification must preserve copyright protections for content used in training models.123
Why — This would reduce compliance costs and allow publishers to monetize audience data for advertising revenue.456
Impact — Citizens lose stronger data privacy protections as publishers seek broader exemptions from consent requirements.78
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Meeting with Michael McGrath (Commissioner) and

3 Sept 2025 · Exchange of views on the forthcoming Digital Fairness Act and Democracy Shield

Meeting with Georg Haeusler (Director Education, Youth, Sport and Culture)

6 Jun 2025 · Meeting with NME to present their priorities for culture

Meeting with Marie-Helene Boulanger (Head of Unit Justice and Consumers)

3 Jun 2025 · Exchange of views on the full entry into application of the Regulation on political ads

News Media Europe calls for simpler political advertising labels

28 May 2025
Topic — Technical specifications for labels and transparency notices under the Political Advertising Regulation.
Message — The organization requests simpler general principles rather than prescriptive rules and exemptions for smaller publishers. They advocate for flexible label placement and the use of existing industry advertising standards.123
Why — Exempting smaller publishers reduces financial burdens and prevents them from abandoning the political advertising market.45
Impact — Smaller publishers and democratic participation are harmed by expensive, overly technical compliance requirements.67
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Meeting with Helmut Brandstätter (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and European Magazine Media Association and European Newspaper Publishers' Association

28 May 2025 · Exchange of Views

Response to European Democracy Shield

23 May 2025

News Media Europe fully supports the principle and the objectives of the EUDS. The four pillars of the future proposal look sensible. Especially, given current geopolitical tensions, we support a proposal to better equip member states and citizens with the tools against foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), to preserve democratic frameworks and protect elections integrity. Within the spirit of simplification, we suggest that the EUDS activates all the hard and soft tools already on the table, to tackle many of the problems listed in the call for evidence. Hence, we think a Communication is appropriate, given the arsenal of legislative measures already adopted in the past mandate (DSA-DMA, EMFA, Anti-SLAPP Directive, Political Ads regulation, AI Act) and recommendations (Safety of Journalists, anti-SLAPP) which deserve to be fully applied in the Member States. We agree with the four pillars of the future Communication, in particular with the objective of supporting a free, plural and independent media to strengthen democratic frameworks (pillar 2). Yet the Communication could better reflect the strategic role of the press sector in supporting Europes defence and security including information resilience. Independent media has recently played a key role for information resilience and democratic participation in times of crisis. Here are a few examples: During the covid19 crisis, figures showed that citizens turned to trusted news media sources, rather than social networks, to gather reliable information. As a result, press publishers reported a steep increase in news consumption and subscriptions. The contribution of press publishers to free and independent journalism in the context of the war in Ukraine is very concrete and consistent through time. In 2022, News Media Europe and the Centre for Law and Democracy published a concrete guide for journalists on how to document international crimes. Press publishers from Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Poland founded the Ukrainian Media Fund (UMF), raising EUR1 200 000 to support Ukrainian journalists and publishers. In March 2025, Norwegian publishers co-launched the Stronger Together: Media and Democracy Programme for Ukraine, bringing 6 million EUR over three years to support independent media on the ground. The programme helps 75 local and regional media and reaches 80% of Ukraines population. The Swedish publishing group, NWT Gruppen, has been supporting the Riga Media Hub of the Stockholm School of Economics to offer a dedicated workspace to exiled media professionals forced to flee Russia and several Central Asian countries. Our Danish member, Danske Medier, is a founding member of the International Media Support which helps local media, affected by conflicts, to continue operating. The press sector in Finland, which shares 1340 kms of border with Russia, is an example of media freedom excellence and information resilience. The country ranks first in trust in news media globally (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024) and features in the best-performing category for media literacy (Open Society Institute Media Literacy Index 2023). Mediahuis in the Netherlands actively takes part in the Pluralis project , which aims to uphold pluralism in Europe especially in Eastern and Central European countries. The aim is to attract investments to allow news titles to regain their economic independence and to remain editorially independent. The project is proving effective to counter media capture and de-risking press freedom in certain regions. To conclude, the focus should be on the need to protect, not further regulate, editorial media, as a key ingredient for information resilience, democratic stability and security. The independent media does not need additional EU-level obligations but rather a strong acknowledgement and support in the form of sustainable media policies and level playing field with tech giants.
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Meeting with Marie-Helene Boulanger (Head of Unit Justice and Consumers) and EBU-UER (European Broadcasting Union) and

22 May 2025 · Consultation of media representatives and associations in the context of the preparation of the upcoming European Democracy Shield (“focus group”).

Meeting with Nela Riehl (Member of the European Parliament, Committee chair) and EBU-UER (European Broadcasting Union) and

14 May 2025 · Stakeholder Roundtable:The Future of European Broadcasting, Press and Media: How to create a common European Media Space?

Meeting with Diana Riba I Giner (Member of the European Parliament) and EBU-UER (European Broadcasting Union) and

14 May 2025 · Broadcasting, press and media in the EU

Meeting with Erik Marquardt (Member of the European Parliament) and EBU-UER (European Broadcasting Union) and

14 May 2025 · Stakeholder Roundtable: Broadcasting, Press and Media in the EU

Response to A Culture Compass for Europe

13 May 2025

The Cultural Compass carries significant hope and potential for the European press publishing sector, provided it is not interpreted too narrowly. A successful Cultural Compass goes way beyond the sole issues of subsidies or working conditions of cultural workers. It must directly tackle whether the Single Market offers the right market conditions for creative enterprises to start, scale and innovate. Europes cultural power depends on strong and economically viable companies that are equipped to compete in Europe and globally. As far as the news publishing sector is concerned, critical elements are missing such as fair competition with tech giants and public service broadcasters, monetization of our intellectual property and a licensing market in the age of artificial intelligence. The initiative should address these key economic issues in interaction with the democracy and security objectives of the European Democracy Shield. Please refer to our joint 2024-2029 priorities attached. In a nutshell, the Cultural Compass should include: 1. A strategic approach to culture including journalism: Press products, whether in online, mobile, via apps, print, tv or radio, are cultural products that contribute to a sense of community, public debate and social cohesion. Local and regional newsrooms play a key role for democratic participation and cultural life. Hence news media companies, as part of the cultural scene, should be considered in the Cultural Compass. 2. A clear media competitiveness strategy: The economic condition of press publishers has been declining over the past decades, due to loss of print revenues, a broken ad-tech market, domination by tech giants and rising inflation. The implementation of the press publisher right failed to reverse this trend. The Compass must stand up for the economic viability of the press. Fair market conditions and content monetization (copyright, advertising, subscriptions) are the basics of a free, diverse and flourishing journalistic sector. Subsidies cannot be a long-term solution. The Compass should support the strong and immediate enforcement of the existing digital toolkit (DSA-DMA, Copyright, AI Act, EMFA) to level the playing field. 3. Strong and unequivocal support to copyright and human creativity in artificial intelligence (AI) regulation: Copyright is the promise to all creators that their work is worth remuneration. It is also a virtuous circle for investments. This promise is being broken by the lack of enforcement against AI companies. The AI code of practice and the summary template are immediate opportunities to introduce meaningful transparency requirements to allow creators to enforce their rights and to sanction piracy. In addition, the Compass should support a better framework for authorization, e.g. through a text and data mining opt-in. 4. Protecting independent journalism through subscriptions and advertising: The journalistic business model is under severe pressure, squeezed between dominant tech giants and public service broadcasters. Yet the voice of private news media is crucial to bring pluralism and diversity in the cultural landscape. Consumer protection policies (Digital Fairness Act) must not further restrict the ability for press publishers to monetize content creation through subscriptions (behind paywalls) and advertising (free content) that are crucial for economic viability. 5. A standalone news media strand under Creative Europe. Journalism is a public good and as such, deserves to be rendered accessible to all. Support to the news media sector has been a positive addition in the Creative Europe 2021-2027. We call for an equally strong budget for journalism going forward, especially for media literacy activities, self-regulation and innovation projects. Given newsrooms lack of resources, we call on the Commission to simplify as much as possible the application process and intensify support to applicants.
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Meeting with Axel Voss (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and Google and

6 May 2025 · Copyright and generative AI

Meeting with Marco Giorello (Head of Unit Communications Networks, Content and Technology) and Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs and

19 Mar 2025 · Code of Conduct on Online Advertising – Workshop 4

Meeting with Nathalie Loiseau (Member of the European Parliament, Committee chair) and European Magazine Media Association

18 Mar 2025 · Bouclier démocratique européen

Meeting with Marco Giorello (Head of Unit Communications Networks, Content and Technology) and Apple Inc. and

13 Mar 2025 · Code of Conduct on Online Advertising – Workshop 3

Meeting with Alina Nedea (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera Rodríguez), Anna Vernet (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera Rodríguez), Sean Mernagh (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera Rodríguez) and

7 Mar 2025 · Competition policy and DMA and the European press sector

Meeting with Egelyn Braun (Cabinet of Commissioner Michael McGrath), Jördis Ferroli (Cabinet of Commissioner Michael McGrath), Simona Constantin (Cabinet of Commissioner Michael McGrath) and

6 Mar 2025 · Exchange of views on the Democracy Shield, the Digital Fairness Act and European Media Freedom Act

Meeting with Marco Giorello (Head of Unit Communications Networks, Content and Technology) and EuroCommerce and

6 Mar 2025 · Code of Conduct on Online Advertising – Workshop 2

Meeting with Marco Giorello (Head of Unit Communications Networks, Content and Technology) and EuroCommerce and

4 Mar 2025 · Code of Conduct on Online Advertising – Workshop 1

Meeting with Desislava Dimitrova (Cabinet of Commissioner Glenn Micallef) and European Magazine Media Association and European Newspaper Publishers' Association

24 Feb 2025 · Introductory meeting

Meeting with Werner Stengg (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen)

12 Feb 2025 · Digital priorities of the new Commission

Meeting with Rita Wezenbeek (Director Communications Networks, Content and Technology) and

11 Feb 2025 · Opening Session: DSA roundtable discussions on online advertising (Article 46 DSA)

Meeting with Anna Herold (Head of Unit Communications Networks, Content and Technology) and EBU-UER (European Broadcasting Union) and

21 Jan 2025 · Exchange of views in the context of preparatory work on draft guidelines on Article 18(1) European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) to be issued by the European Commission under Article 18(9) of the EMFA.

Meeting with Zala Tomašič (Member of the European Parliament)

23 Oct 2024 · News Media Sector

Meeting with Evin Incir (Member of the European Parliament) and European Magazine Media Association and European Newspaper Publishers' Association

23 Oct 2024 · Press and Media

Meeting with Kristian Vigenin (Member of the European Parliament) and European Magazine Media Association and European Newspaper Publishers' Association

23 Oct 2024 · Media independence

Meeting with Saskia Bricmont (Member of the European Parliament)

22 Oct 2024 · Media Freedom

Meeting with Dóra Dávid (Member of the European Parliament) and European Magazine Media Association and European Newspaper Publishers' Association

22 Oct 2024 · Legislative priorities for the 10th legislature

Meeting with Diana Riba I Giner (Member of the European Parliament) and European Magazine Media Association and European Newspaper Publishers' Association

22 Oct 2024 · EU Media and digital policies

Meeting with Alexandra Geese (Member of the European Parliament) and European Magazine Media Association and European Newspaper Publishers' Association

21 Oct 2024 · Press freedo, media growth strategy, IP protections

Meeting with Sandro Ruotolo (Member of the European Parliament) and European Magazine Media Association and

30 Sept 2024 · Cult priorities 2024-2029

Meeting with Marie Frenay (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová)

22 Apr 2024 · Artificial Intelligence and Copyright

News Media Europe urges simpler DSA transparency rules for publishers

24 Jan 2024
Topic — Consultation on mandatory reporting templates for content moderation under the Digital Services Act
Message — News Media Europe recommends the Commission simplify the categories and layout for intermediaries that are not large platforms. They argue the monthly breakdown requirement represents a clear administrative burden and request assistance from digital services coordinators.123
Why — Simplification would reduce compliance costs and prevent red tape from discouraging innovation.45
Impact — Users lose the right to know why their online comments were rejected.6
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Meeting with Marie Frenay (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová), Werner Stengg (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová)

27 Nov 2023 · Artificial Intelligence Act, media

Meeting with Marie Toussaint (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

14 Jun 2023 · SLAPP

News Media Europe demands platform audits cover editorial content integrity

2 Jun 2023
Topic — Rules defining how independent audits of very large online platforms are conducted.
Message — The organization calls for audit reports to detail how platforms handle news and editorial content. They specifically request data on content removals, account suspensions, and the impact of algorithms on news visibility.12
Why — Greater transparency would help publishers protect their content's visibility and challenge unfair moderation decisions.3
Impact — Online platforms would face increased scrutiny and lose the shield of business confidentiality.4
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News Media Europe demands transparency on platform content moderation

23 May 2023
Topic — Proposed rules for researcher access to data from large online platforms and search engines.
Message — The association wants researchers to analyze how platform algorithms and content moderation affect media freedom. They request that data findings be published in plain, intelligible formats for stakeholders.12
Why — Publishers would gain evidence to challenge arbitrary content removals and negotiate better platform visibility.34
Impact — Large tech platforms lose the ability to use trade secrets to shield their algorithms.5
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Response to Evaluation of “Marrakesh” Directive and Regulation

11 May 2023

Please find attached News Media Europe's response to the call for evidence.
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Meeting with Marcel Kolaja (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur for opinion)

28 Apr 2023 · discussion about the latest developments in the negotiations

Meeting with Marcel Kolaja (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur for opinion)

5 Apr 2023 · discussion about media transparency and rules for state advertising

Meeting with Petra Kammerevert (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Google and

9 Mar 2023 · Media Freedom Act

Response to Fighting against online piracy of live content

10 Feb 2023

Please find attached our contribution to the call for evidence.
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Meeting with Ramona Strugariu (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur for opinion)

9 Feb 2023 · European Media Freedom Act

News Media Europe Urges National Control Over Media Freedom

20 Dec 2022
Topic — The European Media Freedom Act aims to protect media pluralism and independence across Europe.
Message — News Media Europe wants media policy to stay under national control rather than central EU regulation. They argue for flexible merger rules to ensure financial survival and better protection against tech platforms removing their content.1234
Why — This allows publishers to consolidate their businesses while restricting tech platforms from removing editorial content.56
Impact — EU regulators lose the authority to enforce common standards across diverse national media landscapes.7
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Meeting with Marie Frenay (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová)

14 Nov 2022 · European Media Freedom Act

Meeting with Marie Frenay (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová)

2 Sept 2022 · European Media Freedom Act

Meeting with Marie Frenay (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová)

20 Jul 2022 · European Media Freedom Act

Meeting with Věra Jourová (Vice-President)

19 Jul 2022 · European Media Freedom Act

Meeting with Ramona Strugariu (Member of the European Parliament)

28 Apr 2022 · Media Freedom

Meeting with Agnieszka Skonieczna (Cabinet of Commissioner Thierry Breton)

7 Apr 2022 · Media Freedom Act

Meeting with Marie Frenay (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová)

28 Mar 2022 · Political advertising

Response to European Media Freedom Act

21 Mar 2022

Please see attached document "News Media Europe Response to call for evidence on MFA - March 2022"
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Response to EU Competition law – revision of the market definition notice

16 Feb 2022

Please find attached a submission on behalf of News Media Europe.
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Response to Transparency of political advertising

31 Jan 2022

Please find attached News Media Europe's views on the proposal.
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Meeting with Daniel Braun (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová), Marie Frenay (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová)

19 Nov 2021 · Code, DSA, EMFA

Meeting with Marie Frenay (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová)

28 Oct 2021 · Copyright directive,DSA,DMA,Media freedom act

Meeting with Věra Jourová (Vice-President)

2 Jul 2021 · Media freedom, Rule of Law, MAAP, SLAPP

Response to Data Act (including the review of the Directive 96/9/EC on the legal protection of databases)

24 Jun 2021

Please find attached News Media Europe's contribution to the roadmap.
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Meeting with Irena Joveva (Member of the European Parliament)

31 May 2021 · Digital platforms and news media

Response to Commission Recommendation on ensuring safety of journalists in the European Union

20 May 2021

Please find attached News Media Europe's feedback on the Roadmap.
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Meeting with Arba Kokalari (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

3 Feb 2021 · Digital Services Act

Meeting with Filomena Chirico (Cabinet of Commissioner Thierry Breton)

21 Sept 2020 · Developments on advertisement-based media business models

Response to European Democracy Action Plan

20 Jul 2020

Please, see attached document.
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Meeting with Thierry Breton (Commissioner) and

17 Apr 2020 · Economic impact of COVID-19

Meeting with Marie Frenay (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová)

17 Feb 2020 · Media freedom, media pluralism

Meeting with Marie Frenay (Cabinet of Vice-President Andrus Ansip)

17 Oct 2018 · Media Policy, disinformation

Meeting with Johannes Laitenberger (Director-General Competition)

2 Oct 2018 · To discuss aspects of News Media Europe’s report on Safeguarding the Economic Sustainability of Europe’s News Media Ecosystem

Meeting with Andrea Almeida Cordero (Cabinet of Commissioner Mariya Gabriel)

18 May 2018 · gender equality

Meeting with Roberto Viola (Director-General Communications Networks, Content and Technology)

16 Mar 2018 · News media and the EU digital single market, Online platforms, Current DSM proposals (on ePrivacy, AVMS, Copyright)

Meeting with Antoine Kasel (Cabinet of President Jean-Claude Juncker) and European Magazine Media Association and

31 Jan 2018 · The VAT for digital publications

Meeting with Manuel Mateo Goyet (Cabinet of Commissioner Mariya Gabriel)

9 Nov 2017 · Copyright, Fake News and AVMSD

Meeting with Manuel Mateo Goyet (Cabinet of Commissioner Mariya Gabriel)

4 Sept 2017 · Copyright, AVMSD, Fake News

Meeting with Günther Oettinger (Commissioner) and European Magazine Media Association and

9 Mar 2016 · copyright