Press releases
ENPA, the association representing publishers of newspapers and news media in Europe, today launched “10 Action Points for a free, independent and sustainable press sector in Europe”, for the new mandate of the European institutions from 2014-19. The “10 Action Points”, ranging from freedom of the press to copyright, data protection and competition in the digital market place, were presented at ENPA’s Tête à Tête with the Press at the Sofitel Hotel in Brussels, during the news media sector’s first formal encounter with the new European Parliament.
In a keynote speech to Members of the European Parliament, Lord Black of Brentwood, Executive Director of the Telegraph Media Group (UK) and Member of the ENPA Executive Committee, said: “A free press can be undermined by stealth, through the accumulation of often well-meaning regulations or apparently harmless red tape, or by the slow cutting away of copyright protection – all of which makes it more and more difficult to run a successful business. Commercial success is important because if the press is not successful commercially it cannot be free, because it cannot invest in high quality investigative journalism.”
ENPA President Ivar Rusdal, who introduced the event, said: “Freedom of expression is at the heart of European democracy and at the core of the newspaper and newsmedia sector. In the course of the next five years, European legislators will have theopportunity to take many decisions to help to ensure a vibrant and sustainable news media sector to the benefit of Europe’s citizens. ENPA will be there to provide any information and input needed to help parliamentarians in their important work.”
Speakers at Tête à Tête with the Press included: ENPA President Ivar Rusdal; Lord Black of Brentwood, Executive Director of the Telegraph Media Group; MEP Elmar Brok, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, European Parliament; MEP Viviane Reding, former Vice-President of the European Commission; and MEP Ana Gomes, Member of the Civil Liberties Committee, European Parliament.
For further information:
Sophie SCRIVE
Deputy Executive Director
ENPA
Mail: sophie.scrive@enpa.be
Tel: +32 (0)2 551 01 90
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.
