European law (enforcement) reality check
Opening of Europe Day & Keynotes
The theme of this year's Media Days Munich is "Realities". This opens up a wide range of opportunities for intensive discussion on various media-relevant topics. At this year's Europe Day of the Media Days Munich, we therefore want to venture a reality check for European legislation and law enforcement and, in particular, ask ourselves whether and how the latest legislative developments at EU level have arrived in German practice or still need to be implemented.
With the entry into force of the European Media Freedom Act in May 2024 as a directly binding regulation, the Union has taken a self-confident step towards harmonisation in a territory that was previously largely reserved for member state media regulation. With the entry into force of the SLAPP Directive (also in May 2024), the Regulation on Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (April 2024) and the Artificial Intelligence Act (June 2024), further rules relevant to the media sector have been created, in addition to the Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act, which have only recently become fully applicable to the Digital Single Market. The member states will now have to react to all of these EU legal acts. This applies in particular to their implementation and, if necessary, the adaptation of national rules. In addition, national regulators are called upon to ensure effective law enforcement, which poses particular challenges in the media landscape of the 21st century, in which diverse types of content are distributed by a wide variety of players, especially across borders. The Europe Day is dedicated to these topics and, as usual, offers space for an open and enriching discussion that looks at the current and future realities of European and national media regulation.
The regulation of the Digital Single Market at EU level is becoming increasingly relevant for the media sector. With the European Media Freedom Act, a regulation will become applicable in October 2025 that directly defines a range of rights and obligations for media services "while safeguarding the independence and pluralism of media services". Other regulations such as the Digital Services Act and the Regulation on Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising also contain at least cross-references to freedom of the media and freedom of expression. As the EU moves into an area that has so far been largely regulated by the Member States and has led to different developments based on legal traditions and economic circumstances, follow-up questions arise. How can the different approaches be harmonised in a coherent and consistent manner? What room is left for the consideration of national particularities? And who will actually interpret media freedoms in future, when and how? The keynote speeches at the Europe Day will look at these questions from an EU or national perspective and highlight possible commonalities and areas of tension.
The Europe Day of the Munich Media Days is once again being organised this year in the traditional cooperation between the Institute for European Media Law (EMR) and the Bavarian Regulatory Authority for New Media (BLM).
With the entry into force of the European Media Freedom Act in May 2024 as a directly binding regulation, the Union has taken a self-confident step towards harmonisation in a territory that was previously largely reserved for member state media regulation. With the entry into force of the SLAPP Directive (also in May 2024), the Regulation on Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (April 2024) and the Artificial Intelligence Act (June 2024), further rules relevant to the media sector have been created, in addition to the Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act, which have only recently become fully applicable to the Digital Single Market. The member states will now have to react to all of these EU legal acts. This applies in particular to their implementation and, if necessary, the adaptation of national rules. In addition, national regulators are called upon to ensure effective law enforcement, which poses particular challenges in the media landscape of the 21st century, in which diverse types of content are distributed by a wide variety of players, especially across borders. The Europe Day is dedicated to these topics and, as usual, offers space for an open and enriching discussion that looks at the current and future realities of European and national media regulation.
The regulation of the Digital Single Market at EU level is becoming increasingly relevant for the media sector. With the European Media Freedom Act, a regulation will become applicable in October 2025 that directly defines a range of rights and obligations for media services "while safeguarding the independence and pluralism of media services". Other regulations such as the Digital Services Act and the Regulation on Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising also contain at least cross-references to freedom of the media and freedom of expression. As the EU moves into an area that has so far been largely regulated by the Member States and has led to different developments based on legal traditions and economic circumstances, follow-up questions arise. How can the different approaches be harmonised in a coherent and consistent manner? What room is left for the consideration of national particularities? And who will actually interpret media freedoms in future, when and how? The keynote speeches at the Europe Day will look at these questions from an EU or national perspective and highlight possible commonalities and areas of tension.
The Europe Day of the Munich Media Days is once again being organised this year in the traditional cooperation between the Institute for European Media Law (EMR) and the Bavarian Regulatory Authority for New Media (BLM).
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