Media Regulation of the European Union

The EU has been pursuing media policy since the early 1980s. The Community found the justification for its media policy activities in the implementation of the internal market and the strengthening of the European audiovisual industry for international competition. While the Community’s media policy activities were initially limited to television and film, the Union’s sphere of action has expanded with the progressive convergence of technology. Technological development has brought with it new regulatory needs, which in turn have also had consequences for the traditional audiovisual sector. Since the inclusion of a cultural article in the EU Treaty, the Union has increasingly taken cultural aspects into account in its media policy action.