On World Press Freedom Day, the Commission is announcing today that the theme of the 2016 Annual Colloquium on Fundamental Rights will be “Media Pluralism and Democracy”. This second Annual Colloquium will be held in Brussels on 17-18 November 2016. First Vice-President Frans Timmermans, Commissioner Günther Oettinger, and Commissioner Jourová will lead discussions with a wide range of experts on the key role in democratic societies of a free and pluralist media, and in particular digital media.
First Vice-President Timmermans said today: “World Press Freedom Day is an occasion to recall that media freedom and pluralism are essential safeguards for well-functioning democracies. Freedom of expression, media freedom and pluralism are enshrined in the EU Charter for Fundamental Rights and are at the core of the basic democratic values on which the European Union is founded.“
Commissioner Oettinger added: “Most of our Member States have high standards of media freedom and pluralism. However, we shouldn’t take this situation for granted. The Colloquium will allow for an open exchange on the many different aspects of media pluralism in a digital world, and the modern media’s role in our democratic societies. I look forward to discussing how to protect and promote pluralism and how to address the challenges and opportunities of a converged media environment.”
The 2016 Colloquium will be based around interactive roundtable discussions with EU institutions, Member States, NGOs, journalists, media representatives, companies, academics and international organisations. The wide range of topics for discussion will include: protecting and promoting media freedom and independence from state intervention and undue political or commercial pressures; empowering journalists and protecting them from threats of physical violence or hate speech; the role of the media and ethical journalism in promoting fundamental rights; and, how a pluralistic media environment can foster political debate on crucial issues for democratic societies.
The Commission’s Annual Colloquium on Fundamental Rights, launched by First Vice-President Timmermans in 2015, aims to improve mutual and practical cooperation between different stakeholders. The Colloquium offers a space for dialogue with a wide variety of actors, including civil society and policy makers. The first Annual Colloquium took place in October 2015, on the theme of “Tolerance and Respect: Preventing and Combating Antisemitic and anti-Muslim Hatred in Europe”.
