EU: Council disappoints private sector

The EU’s Culture / Audiovisual Council has approved a resolution on public service broadcasting, intended to complement the protocol on public service broadcasting annexed to the Amsterdam Treaty. The resolution, which differs substantially from previous drafts, has not added substantial further conditions to those of the protocol. Many observers feel that the Council has thus failed to grasp the nettle of unfair subsidies for state-controlled broadcasters. A few days after the resolution was approved, an alliance of broadcasters and publishers was formed to campaign for fair competition with public channels. Members of the alliance also fear that the new resolution actually reinforces the unfair balance between private and public interests by stressing the right of public channels to develop new technologies without mentioning financial transparency and fair competition.