Press releases
EMMA and ENPA, which together speak on behalf of European press publishers with over 50.000 magazine and newspaper titles (online and in print) as well as 20 corporate media groups, welcome yesterday’s provisional agreement on the much anticipated Digital Markets Act (DMA), which will be of crucial importance to restore fair competition on digital markets. In particular, the associations welcome the agreement to extend the obligation to apply fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory access conditions to their business users to the gatekeeper search engines and social networks.
"We thank the co-legislators and in particular the European Parliament for extending the obligation to apply non-discriminatory and fair access conditions to Google and Facebook. This has the potential of becoming an historic step for the future of a free and sustainable press in the digital age." said ENPA president Jean-Pierre de Kerraoul.
"Speedy, reliable and consistent enforcement is now of utmost importance. The role of the European Commission will be fundamental for the enforcement of the DMA and to counter the efforts of the gatekeepers to deviate from their obligations.", said EMMA president Xavier Bouckaert.
However, EMMA and ENPA consider that this obligation of non-discriminatory and fair access conditions limited to search, social networks and app stores should only be a first step, as other equally powerful gatekeeper platforms, for the time being, will not be captured by the new provision. Otherwise, there is the risk that the Digital Markets Act may not achieve its goals in broad areas of the digital economy, which is ever-evolving, with gatekeepers constantly inventing new ways to favour their products or imposing unfair conditions for all.
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.
