Contribution of the Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe
(FAFCE) to the public Consultation on the revision of the "Television
Without Frontiers" directive
The Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe (FAFCE) welcomes the process initiated by the European Commission of a public consultation on the revision of the "television without frontiers" directive and the summary of the preceding inputs concerning the future legislative framework for audiovisual content services for the preparation of a mayor audiovisual conference in September 2005.
As European Family Organisation FAFCE pays special attention to laws concerning the media that guarantee human dignity and the protection of minors. FAFCE comments on the issue paper ""Protection of Minors and Human Dignity, Right of Reply" as follows:
- FAFCE agrees with the proposal of the issue paper stating that the
non-linear audiovisual services in the proposed form should be altered
to be more similar to article 22 of the present "Television Without
Frontiers" directive about the protection of minors concerning
the linear audiovisual services. This is a help for parents in their
endeavours to educate their kids to a responsible usage of the media.
FAFCE regards the introduction of a "pay per view" system
as one technical measure in connection with linear and audio-visual
services for programmes which endanger the physical, mental and moral
development of minors.
- FAFCE also welcomes the fact that the Member States are being encouraged
"to put in place systems of co-regulation or self-regulation as
well systems of filtering, age verification, labelling and classification
of content." At the same time FAFCE points out the necessity to
provide resources and appropriate frameworks for those measures. We
see the necessity to integrate the different cultures of regulation
and procedures from the field of television and the field of the internet,
because the respective technologies are growing closer and closer together.
FAFCE suggests an exchange of experiences on the European level and
the integration of specific measures in the drafted revision of TVWF
Directive.
- In the fields of age verification, identification, and classification
of the content, within the EU Member States, FAFCE requests for a stronger
harmonization of the linear audiovisual services and the non-linear
audiovisual services. Representatives of the civil society, especially
parents and family organisations, should be involved in this process
of harmonization.
- A very important aspect of the protection of minors is the media competence.
FAFCE points out that this aspect is not mentioned in the issue paper.
In a steadily more and more complex world of media, protection of minors
is often only possible as self protection by medial competent and educated/informed
young persons. Therefore FAFCE demands from the EU to canalise their
prophylactic measures in the field of a safer internet usage, to an
empowerment of the youth and children through media competence and shaping
of opinions, and to adjust them with the present regulation activities.
Moreover we think that an ombudsman, whose independence towards the
respective media must be guaranteed and whose statements have to be
published, is of great importance and necessary.