52003XG0118(01)

Council Conclusions

of 19 December 2002

on the "Television without Frontiers" Directive

(2003/C 13/01)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

1. RECALLS the meeting of the Council of 23 May 2002 which highlighted the broad consensus that there is a need for extensive preparation before the elaboration of any future proposals concerning the Directive.

2. POINTS OUT the importance of building, inter alia, upon Member States' experience in the area, including in the field of statutory legislation, co-regulation, and self-regulation.

3. WISHES to emphasise the importance of upholding the dual cultural and economic dimension of television broadcasting media, and finds it fruitful to exchange views on current experiences.

4. RECALLS the underlying principles on which the Directive is based, some of which can be summarised as follows:

- to ensure the free movement of television broadcasting services in the Community, on the basis of the country of origin principle,

- to promote cultural and linguistic diversity and the strengthening of the European audiovisual industry,

- to reinforce the indispensable role of television broadcasting in the democratic, social, and cultural life of society.

5. UNDERLINES that, in order to set up a regulatory framework favourable to the development of the sector and to facilitate access of citizens to a wide choice of television programmes from different Member States, it is important that the Commission in its reflections, inter alia on the basis of the experience of Member States, also consider if there is a need to take into account other developments of importance to the broadcasting sector, especially the implications of new means of delivery of audiovisual content, for example interactive media.

6. LOOKS FORWARD to the Commission's forthcoming report on the application of the TWF Directive, and to in-depth discussions in the preparation by the Commission of any future proposals concerning the Directive, in particular in the Contact Committee, which has been set up, inter alia, to discuss questions pertaining to the Directive.

7. EXPRESSES its intention to take stock regularly of the progress of these discussions.