🚀 go-pugleaf

Dear friends

Just a short note to let you know that we launched our response to the
Commissions Green Paper on Media Convergence in the European Parliament
last Tuesday. A number of people from the offices of MEPs were present and
were interested in our ideas.

On Wednesday a few of us stayed around for the discussion of the European
Parliament Committee on Culture, Youth, Education and the Media on the
issue. The main report will be taken in the Economic and Monetary Affairs
Committee, which will integrate the views of the other committees doing
reports on the issue. The EMAC rapporteur (and therefore lead rapporteur)
on the issue (Reino Paasilinna, MEP) expressed a willingness to accept an
amendment which covers community media, but suggested that it should better
come from the Culture, Youth, Eduation and Media Committee (rapporteur
Helmut Kuhne, MEP). The following is a draft of an amendment which we
suggest submitting to Mr Kuhne, adding a couple of paragraphs.

After Point 18

"Considers that an essential component of current and future public
service provision is independent, locally accountable community media
services such as community radio, open television channels, and
Internet-based community information networks.

"Calls on the Commission to investigate the impact of convergence on
community media  services and to consider measures, including financial
measures, to support the adaptation of existing services and the
development of new services which increase and improve citizens and local
communities access to the means of communication."

Please give us feed-back on this text as soon as possible (by Thursday
afternoon?) in order that we can finalise a proposal and start to discuss
it with Mr Kuhne.

Friendly Greetings


Brian Carty
Co-ordinator