News

European press publishers’ associations take note of the Commission proposal for an updated Audiovisual Media Services (AVMS) Directive Offering more advertising in primetime TV will negatively impact the financing of newspapers and magazines.

Today, the European Commission has presented a legislative proposal reviewing the current AVMS Directive. This proposal aims, amongst other things, at giving more flexibility in the area of commercial communications, in particular as regards to the rules TV broadcasters have to follow. The proposal also foresees a limited extension of the scope of the Directive to video-sharing platforms without editorial responsibility.

World Press Freedom Day 2016

ENPA and WAN-IFRA together are making a special appeal on World Press Freedom Day to European politicians and officials to focus more attention to the plight of exiled journalists.

Adoption of the Trade Secrets Directive by the European Parliament: Investigative journalism must be guaranteed

Today, the European Parliament adopted the Directive on the protection of Trade Secrets. European journalists and media associations are concerned that this Directive could put journalists at risk therefore limiting their ability to investigate and report about businesses. This comes at a time when the “Panama Papers” revelations have reaffirmed the essential role that journalists, whistleblowers, and media play in informing citizens about issues of public interest. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Reporters Without Borders (RWB), the European Magazine Media Association (EMMA), the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association (ENPA) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU - UER) take note of the adoption of the Trade Secrets Directive by the European Parliament today in the plenary.

Italian publisher Carlo Perrone elected as new ENPA President

ENPA, the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association, has elected as new President Carlo Perrone at its General Assembly which took place today in Brussels. ENPA President Carlo Perrone is the Vice President of Italiana Editrice S.p.A. (ITEDI) (La Stampa & Il Secolo XIX) and has been Vice President of ENPA since 2010.

EUROPEAN PRESS PUBLISHERS WELCOME THE COMMISSION'S PLANS ON VAT FOR THE DIGITAL PRESS

European newspaper and magazine publishers welcome today's announcement by Commissioner Moscovici of a specific proposal coming up this year to reduce VAT rates for e-publications, along with what was announced by President Juncker in May 2015. ENPA and EMMA welcome that the Action plan recognises that the current rules do not fully take into account technological and economic developments as e.g. electronic newspapers currently cannot benefit from reduced rates available for physical publications. The action plan announces that this issue will be addressed in the context of the Digital Single Market strategy.

European Newspaper and Magazine Publishers welcome European Commission’s launch of consultation on Publishers’ Rights

Europe’s leading Newspaper and Magazine Publishers’ Associations EMMA, ENPA, EPC and NME welcome the European Commission’s launch today, 23 March, of a public consultation “on the role of publishers in the copyright value chain”. This consultation is an important step at a time when the role and the value of the press needs more than ever to be recognized in a global digital and media environment.

Provisional agreement reached on the Trade Secrets Directive: Journalists and Media associations acknowledge improvements to the original draft

An agreement was reached on Tuesday 15 December between the European Parliament and the Council on the controversial draft Trade Secrets Directive. After intense debates, the final text improve the legal certainty as regards the exception for exercising the right to freedom of expression and information but journalists and media associations will remain vigilant.

Members of the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association (ENPA) have reached an agreement about the future of the association

Members of the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association (ENPA) have reached an agreement about the future of the association, in light of differing views about the organisational structures of the representation of publishers in Brussels. Under the terms of this agreement, a number of countries/regions will be leaving ENPA to form their own organisation, ‘News Media Europe’ at the start of 2016. ENPA will continue its advocacy work as before.

European organisations representing newspaper and magazine publishers have raised the alarm over the potential impact on media freedom of a draft new law on Trade Secrets.

The draft EU Directive on Trade Secrets is scheduled to be voted in the Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament tomorrow, based on a report by Constance Le Grip (EPP, France.)

ENPA welcomes European Commission President Juncker’s announcement of a future EU proposal to reduce VAT rates on digital press

ENPA, the association representing newspapers and news media in Europe, welcomes the announcement of the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, regarding a future EU proposal to reduce VAT on digital press.

Newspaper and magazine publishers react to Court of Justice of the European Union decision regarding VAT applied to e-books

Press publishers across Europe today called on the European Commission to come forward rapidly with a proposal allowing Member States to adapt VAT rates for digital publications, following yesterday’s ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union regarding VAT on e-books.

European newspaper and news media publishers raise serious concerns over allegations of state abuse of power against the press in Bulgaria

The Union of Publishers in Bulgaria (UBP) has brought to ENPA’s attention a potential abuse of power by the Financial Supervision Commission (FSC) in Bulgaria, which has invoked legislation against marketmanipulation to impose heavy fines on the Economedia publishing house, and on the small regional press publishing and media company, Alpiko Publishing. In addition to the fines imposed on Economedia totaling BGN 160,000 (approx. EUR 82,000) and Alpiko Publishing amounting to BGN 100,000 (approx. EUR 50,000), the FSC has also started sanction proceedings against two othermedia outlets, Bivol website and Mediapool.bg.

European Journalists and Press Publishers urge the Justice Council to maintain current safeguards for Press Freedom in Europe

Following the Council’s orientation debate on the draft General Data Protection (GDPR) Regulation, journalists and press publishers in Europe urge Member States to prevent any weakening of press freedom and give their full support without delay to a robust, directly applicable and legally binding exemption for journalistic data processing in Article 80 of the GDPR.

ENPA launches 10 Action Points for a free, independent and sustainable press sector in Europe.

Lord Black of Brentwood, Executive Director of the Telegraph Media Group (UK) addresses Members of the new European Parliament in Brussels. Brussels, 30th September 2014 – 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.

European Press Publishers urge the Commission to stop Google´s abusive promotion of its own services and restore competition to the digital economy

Publishers and their trade associations call for rejection of a flawed deal and to enforce EU competition law properly to the benefit of consumers, publishers and businesses (European Commission’s Competition Investigation of GOOGLE – AT.39.740)  Brussels, 4 September 2014– Newspaper and magazine publishers across Europe have called on the European Commission to reject the third set of commitments by Google in the ongoing anti-trust investigation. 

European press publishers reject the suggestion of the Commission-appointedHigh Level Group on Taxation concerning VAT on print and digital press.

European newspaper and magazine publishers have written to European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, Taxation Commissioner Algirdas Šemeta and Vice President Neelie Kroes (Digital Agenda) to express their deep disappointment following the publication last week of the Report of the Commission-appointed High Level Group on Taxation of the digital economy.

Press publishers in Europe fully support the call from the German and French Culture Ministers for immediate action to lower VAT on digital press

Following the announcement made by Mrs Monika Grütters, the German Culture Minister, and Mrs Aurélie Filippetti, the French Culture Minister, on 19th February 2014, press publishers in Europe join this call to the Member States and to the EU institutions to take immediate action allowing the reduction of VAT rates on digital press.

Journalists and publishers in Europe warn of the threat to press freedom following European Parliament vote on draft Data Protection Regulation - Rapporteur’s statement that “nothing will change for journalists” is strongly refuted

A coalition of European organisations representing the interests of both journalists and press publishers [1] today criticised the vote in the European Parliament on the draft EU General Data Protection Regulation, which jeopardises  press freedom and fails to properly protect journalistic sources. They vehemently refute claims from the author of the Parliament’s report, MEP Jan Philipp Albrecht, that “nothing will change for journalists” following the vote.