Press releases
Newspaper publishers in Europe are calling on the Member States, when implementing the provisions of the Telecoms Package, to ensure the challenges that the publishing sector is facing in the online environment are appropriately reflected upon. ENPA – the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association - acknowledges the final adoption of the Telecom Package yesterday by the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Newspaper publishers in Europe have followed with great attention the discussions at EU level on the revised package. In particular, ENPA called EU decision makers to ensure that the reformed package provides the necessary conditions to allow publishers to offer innovative online content whilst respecting at the same time a safe and trusted environment for users. In this debate, publishers have highlighted that transparency, consumers’ trust and choice are indispensable for their online businesses: newspaper publishers have built privileged relationships with users based on their brand, the quality of content and the respect of the readers’ choices. Innovative advertising techniques cannot be successful without consumers’ trust and information.
When implementing the provisions of the package, publishers urge national legislators to ensure:
· Freedom of expression: a vibrant freedom of expression in Europe depends on good legal, political and economic conditions to sustain press freedom and the viability of the press sector. ENPA believes that freedom of expression should always bepreserved and guaranteed in the online and offline world. Member States should therefore be vigilant on the respect of freedom of expression when implementing the provisions of the Telecom Package.
· Net neutrality: ENPA supports the principle of network/content neutrality, believing that allowing network providers to provide preferential treatment for certain internet traffic would damage the essentially democratic and innovative nature of the internet. Whilst however recognising the need for network operators to conduct basic traffic management in order to optimise the customer experience, ENPA believes that no discrimination must be made between content.
· Data protection: Publishers’ success in the online world strongly depends on consumers’ satisfaction and confidence. Cookies allow a positive and user-friendly experience when consulting publishers’ website. ENPA calls on national legislators to ensure that the provisions of the package regulating the use of cookies provide sufficient legal certainty and security for both publishers and their readers.
Publishers are therefore keen to contribute to an effective and comprehensive implementationwhich would give sufficient certainty for the continuity and the growth of their online business in full respect of consumers’ expectations and needs.
Reacting to the final adoption of the package in the Parliament, ENPA President Valdo Lehari Jr. said: “The adoption of the revised Telecom Package is certainly an important achievement in order to foster competition and at the same time ensuring legal certainty in the telecoms sector. However, Member States should also carefully evaluate the application and impact of certain provisions on the future development of the newspaper publishing sector in the digital environment and the trusted and long term relationships that they have established with their readers.”
For more details, please contact Mrs. Caroline Quintero P., Communication Officer.
ENPA – European Newspaper Publishers’ Association: Square du bastion 1A Bte 3 1050 Brussels
caroline.quintero@enpa.be
Ph : +32 2 551 01 90
Fax: +32 2 551 01 99
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.
