AUDIOVISUAL POLICY: VIVIANE REDING OPENS DEBATE ON NON-EUROPEAN CHANNELS.

• Position: Brief Article

This "Contact Committee" brings together representatives of the Member States under the chairmanship of a European Commission official. The "Television without Frontiers" Directive provides for the free movement of broadcast services within the Union whilst preserving certain public interest objectives. Viviane Reding recalls in this regard that the text "obliges all Member States to ensure that broadcasts do not contain any incitement to hatred on grounds of race, gender, religion or nationality". However, the Commissioner also emphasises that the Directive "does not propose total harmonisation, leaving Member States considerable latitude".

France's Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin had previously announced that he proposed to stop broadcasts by the Al-Manar channel...