Media welcomes political unity on DMA
March 28, 2022
The media sector has welcomed the political agreement on the DMA proposal as a significant step towards curtailing the market dominance of gatekeeper platforms and restoring competition.
A broad coalition from the European media sector, including public and commercial broadcasters, radios and the press, welcomes the provisional agreement reached last week on the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
A statement read: “We applaud the institutions for their ambition and commitment to seeing the DMA through, especially within such a tight timeframe. The agreement reached by the co-legislators reflects the political vision required to preserve a diverse, vivid and innovative digital landscape. We encourage the European Commission, in collaboration with national competition authorities, to support the long-term sustainability of media services that rely on gatekeepers to reach digital audiences. This will, in turn, foster the ability of European consumers and citizens to access services that support the pluralistic flow of information and creative diversity in Europe. We rely on the European Commission to ensure that the obligations foreseen in the DMA are effectively enforced and abided.”
Grégoire Polad, on behalf of the media coalition, said: “The deal that was achieved last evening is a historical step towards ensuring fairness and contestability in digital markets. Targeting the regulation to genuine gatekeepers is the right approach. This is good for business and innovation, but also good for democracy as harmful practices by the gatekeepers will no longer be tolerated, ensuring Europe’s rich and diverse media can flourish on a more equal footing. Fairness should prevail as a guiding principle in the DMA and we welcome the co-legislators’ efforts in this direction. We expect big tech to start complying with the new rules as soon as possible and we encourage the European Commission to proceed on the enforcement phase of the regulation.”