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Issued on: 16/09/2022 - 14:51

The European Commission unveiled a raft of new rules on Friday to ensure media independence after growing fears of state meddling in eastern EU countries such as Hungary and Poland.

Brussels has grown increasingly worried about the weight of the state on news and media in a growing number of EU countries, with public television in Hungary widely seen as a mouthpiece for Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Media pluralism is also a concern in the Czech Republic where former prime minister Andrej Babis owns a major media group and has been accused of subverting press freedom after he used his newspapers to attack the integrity of other news outlets.

The European Media Freedom Act will provide "common safeguards... to guarantee that our media are able to operate without any interference, be it private or public," said EU commissioner Thierry Breton.

"We're proposing a regulation which will apply across the board in Europe in the same way and according to the same rules," he said.

One of the main components of the law will be a new authority that will allow the EU's 27 countries to have an eye on media mergers that would affect the plurality of media ownership.

It will also demand that funding of state media be "adequate and stable" in order to prevent governments using budget allocations to pressure publicly owned media companies and newsrooms.

The regulation, which needs to be approved by EU member countries and the European Parliament, would also require that national governments pass laws that adequately guarantee the protection of journalistic sources.

The European-wide watchdog will be composed of national regulators that would ensure the proper enforcement of the law across the EU.

They would also coordinate the EU's response to non-EU media, a key source of concern after the difficulty of aligning a united response to the presence of Russia Today, a Kremlin-funded television channel, in the days following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"We want it to apply as quickly as possible... because we consider it to be a matter of great urgency," said EU commission Vice President Vera Jourova.

(AFP)

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European Union toughens stance on state meddling in media - FRANCE 24 English

In its Resolution of 15 September 2022 on the situation of fundamental rights in the European Union in 2020 and 2021, the European Parliament calls on EU Member States to accept, without delay, that they should be bound by Article 31 of the Revised European Social Charter on the right to housing.

It stresses in that respect that housing is a fundamental necessity and that access to housing, particularly housing assistance, is a fundamental right, as citizens who lack housing cannot participate fully in society or avail themselves of all of their fundamental rights. It also expresses particular concern that young people are deprived of housing due to the huge increase in house prices, especially in certain urban areas.

In addition, the European Parliament calls on the European Commission to look into steps needed for the EU to accede to the European Social Charter.

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European Parliament calls on EU Member States to accept Article 31 of the Revised Charter on the right to housing - Council of Europe

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (Sept. 14, 2022)In response to todays State of the European Union Speech, Director of Save the Children Europe Ylva Sperling issued the following statement:

In todays State of the European Union address, President Ursula von Der Leyen spoke of the massive challenges that children face as a result of the conflict in Ukraine.

Since February, over three million children have been internally displaced and approximately two million children have fled Ukraine to the EU. Save the Children welcomes the President's recognition of the harm children face, her commitment to fund the aid response, including the specific investment of 100 million EUR to reconstruct destroyed schools, and her steadfast solidarity with refugees from Ukraine.

We also strongly agree with President von Der Leyen that the welcome shown to Ukrainian refugees in the EU must not be an exception, and should be the blueprint for moving towards a Europe that treats all children on the move with dignity and respect. Today, too many children at Europes borders face violence and denial of asylum or adequate servicesthe response to the arrival of refugees from Ukraine shows that another way is possible.

The impacts of the conflict extend far beyond children from Ukraine, however, and children in Europe and around the world are at a critical juncture. The economic shocks from the Ukraine conflict are creating an unprecedented energy and cost-of-living crisis in the EU, and President von Der Leyens recognition that much more needs to be done is important. Key instruments like the Child Guarantee should be fully and urgently implemented and EU funds such as the ESF+ should be strategically allocated to support struggling children and families.

The shocks are also exacerbating an already critical global food crisis, with some 60 million children around the world acutely malnourished. These children must not be forgotten or deprioritized.

We welcome President von Der Leyens commitments to future generations, particularly in the face of the escalating climate crisis. Following through on climate commitments and redoubling efforts to phase out fossil fuels are of critical, existential importance.

We strongly support the need to ensure the ideas and values of the younger generation are at the center of the EUs democratic process, and welcome the announcement that 2023 will be Europes Year of Education and Training. Save the Children looks forward to engaging in the upcoming Child Participation platform to ensure that the views of children, especially marginalized and vulnerable children, are included in the upcoming European Convention.

Save the Children will continue working with and for children in Europe and around the world, and is ready to support the European Union institutions and Member States in delivering their commitments to build a fairer society.

Save the Childrenbelieves every child deserves a future.Since our foundingmore than100 years ago, weve changed the lives of more than 1 billion children. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children every day and in times of crisis transforming their lives and the future we share. Follow us onFacebook,Instagram,TwitterandYouTube.

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Save the Children Europe Responds to State of the European Union Speech - Save the Children

European Commission President Urusla von der Leyen delivers state of the European Union address to the European Parliament, in Strasbourg, France, September 14, 2022. REUTERS/Yves Herman

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BRUSSELS, Sept 14 (Reuters) - The European Union executive will recommend suspending billions of euros earmarked for Hungary over corruption woes, two officials told Reuters on Wednesday, in what would be the first such move against Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

The head of the executive, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in her annual policy speech to the European Parliament on Wednesday she would freeze funding for members damaging democracy, and singled out corruption.

"We must fight for our democracies... I would like to focus on corruption," she said, without naming Hungary specifically.

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But her executive was expected to recommend on Sunday the suspension of up to 70% of 22.5 billion euros ($22.44 billion)worth of cohesion funds earmarked for Hungary from the EU's 2021-27 budget, according to the EU officials. Neither specified the exact sum in question.

The Hungarian forint and bonds weakened on the news on Wednesday as European lawmakers denounced Orban for years of dismantling the rights of migrants, gays and women, as well as the freedom of media, academics and courts.

"Hungary isn't really a true democracy at all," said Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, a Green French lawmaker.

Hungary's veteran premier Orban denies such criticism but is under pressure to secure funds for his ailing economy. Budapest promised to set up an anti-corruption agency and said repeatedly it was hoping for a deal with Brussels.

But the Commission has been cautious, with distrust running high after years of acrimonious feuds with Orban.

Any cuts would come on top of some 6 billion euros from the bloc's separate COVID-19 economic stimulus earmarked for Hungary but blocked by the Commission over the same corruption concerns.

EU countries would have up to three months to decide on the Commission recommendation through a majority vote.

One of the officials said any final decision could still change if Hungary follows up with "more detail and implementation" of the anti-graft measures it proposed during that time.

Hungary had by far the highest share of irregularities in the whole bloc in spending EU funds in 2015-19, according to the EU anti-fraud agency. Brussels has long called for transparency, competition and accountability in Hungarian public procurement.

($1 = 1.0025 euros)

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Additional reporting by Gergely Szakacs and Anita Komuves, Writing by Gabriela Baczynska, Editing by Andrew Cawthorne

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EU executive to recommend cutting billions for Hungary - sources - Reuters

The European Union (EU) will present an initiative to address the metaverse and all the activities and interactions happening in it sometime in 2023. The proposal, which was qualified as key in the State of the Union letter of intent authored by Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, will present several initiatives to clarify Europes rules and expectations for the metaverse.

Many countries of the world are in the process of integrating and adapting their regulatory frameworks and infrastructure to support the activities that are already happening in the metaverse. The European Union bloc is in this process, and has recently announced a union-wide initiative to allow Europe to thrive in the metaverse.

The initiative, which was qualified as key by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, is part of what the latest State of the Union letter of intent calls a Europe fit for the digital age. Von der Leyen stated that as part of their digital regulation strategy, they will continue looking at new digital opportunities and trends, such as the metaverse.

The Commission aims to deliver this initiative in 2023, taking different activities that are already happening in the metaverse into account.

Thierry Breton, commissioner for the internal market of the European Union, explained the way in which the commission will focus to prepare this encompassing initiative. The organization will propose several structures to address perceived issues and will create a specific institution to develop standards and increase interoperability among the different metaverse worlds.

Breton remarked on the need for communication between these different metaverses, stating:

Private metaverses should develop based on interoperable standards and no single private player should hold the key to the public square. We will not witness a new Wild West or new private monopolies.

To structure the system for group providers of technologies on which the metaverse is based including software, middleware, other platforms, and 5G the Virtual and Augmented Reality Industrial Coalition was already launched, an institution that aims to group key stakeholders in these technologies in the area.

Also, on the connectivity side, Breton explained the institution will have to pinpoint the needs regarding infrastructure to make the metaverse thrive. On this, he declared:

We will launch a comprehensive reflection and consultation on the vision and business model of the infrastructure that we need to carry the volumes of data and the instant and continuous interactions which will happen in the metaverses.

The European Union also recently presented a project to fight counterfeiting by using blockchain technologies and NFTs.

What do you think about the upcoming metaverse-focused regulation initiative to be launched by the European Union next year? Tell us in the comment section below.

Sergio is a cryptocurrency journalist based in Venezuela. He describes himself as late to the game, entering the cryptosphere when the price rise happened during December 2017. Having a computer engineering background, living in Venezuela, and being impacted by the cryptocurrency boom at a social level, he offers a different point of view about crypto success and how it helps the unbanked and underserved.

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European Union to Launch Global Metaverse Regulation Initiative in 2023 Regulation Bitcoin News - Bitcoin News