On 17 July, the EBU submitted its contribution to the European Commission’s consultation on the European Media Freedom Act’s (EMFA) Article 18. Under Article 18, very large online platforms (VLOPs) will be required to respect new procedural safeguards when they intend to remove or restrict the visibility of media content. In the submission, we underline the importance of robust, media-specific safeguards to protect professional media content from arbitrary and opaque content moderation practices deployed by VLOPs. 

“So far, VLOPs have shown little interest in adhering to the EU’s digital rulebook and we do not currently see that they are preparing for the entry into application of the EMFA on 8 August, it’s vital that the Commission leaves no room for interpretation: VLOPs’ new duties under the EMFA are non-negotiable. Clear, precise, and actionable Commission guidelines can help in that regard to ensure that they effectively implement the new obligations,” said Thomas Bergmann, Senior EU Policy Advisor.

To benefit from Article 18’s safeguards, media outlets must complete a self-declaration attesting to their compliance with specific criteria, such as adherence to editorial standards and regulatory oversight. To facilitate this process, the European Commission is drafting implementation guidelines and has sought input from stakeholders.

Our contribution highlights key priorities for public service media, including:

• User-friendly self-declaration: The process to self-declare must be easily accessible and straightforward to ensure all media organizations can benefit from the safeguards.  

• One declaration for all accounts managed by a media outlet: Media organisations should have the ability to declare all accounts, profiles, and pages under their editorial responsibility through a single declaration. Platforms should automatically recognise these accounts and establish a centralized hub to streamline complaints and disputes.  

• Qualified interlocutors within VLOPs: VLOPs must designate contact points with expertise in the media sector to engage in constructive dialogue and address disputes about content moderation and self-declarations effectively.  

For further details, please consult our full contribution to the right.