Legal provisions of COM(1995)86-2 - Amendment of Council Directive 89/552/EEC on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the pursuit of television broadcasting activities

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dossier COM(1995)86-2 - Amendment of Council Directive 89/552/EEC on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or ...
document COM(1995)86 EN
date June 30, 1997


Contents

Article 1

Directive 89/552/EEC is hereby amended as follows:

1. in Article 1:

(a) the following new point (b) shall be inserted:

'(b) 'broadcaster' means the natural or legal person who has editorial responsibility for the composition of schedules of television programmes within the meaning of (a) and who transmits them or has them transmitted by third parties;`

(b) the former point (b) shall become point (c) and shall read as follows:

'(c) 'television advertising' means any form of announcement broadcast whether in return for payment or for similar consideration or broadcast for self-promotional purposes by a public or private undertaking in connection with a trade, business, craft or profession in order to promote the supply of goods or services, including immovable property, rights and obligations, in return for payment;`

(c) the former points (c) and (d) shall become points (d) and (e);

(d) the following point shall be added:

'(f) 'teleshopping' means direct offers broadcast to the public with a view to the supply of goods or services, including immovable property, rights and obligations, in return for payment.`;

2. Article 2 shall be replaced by the following:

'Article 2

1. Each Member State shall ensure that all television broadcasts transmitted by broadcasters under its jurisdiction comply with the rules of the system of law applicable to broadcasts intended for the public in that Member State.

2. For the purposes of this Directive the broadcasters under the jurisdiction of a Member State are:

- those established in that Member State in accordance with paragraph 3;

- those to whom paragraph 4 applies.

3. For the purposes of this Directive, a broadcaster shall be deemed to be established in a Member State in the following cases:

(a) the broadcaster has its head office in that Member State and the editorial decisions about programme schedules are taken in that Member State;

(b) if a broadcaster has its head office in one Member State but editorial decisions on programme schedules are taken in another Member State, it shall be deemed to be established in the Member State where a significant part of the workforce involved in the pursuit of the television broadcasting activity operates; if a significant part of the workforce involved in the pursuit of the television broadcasting activity operates in each of those Member States, the broadcaster shall be deemed to be established in the Member State where it has its head office; if a significant part of the workforce involved in the pursuit of the television broadcasting activity operates in neither of those Member States, the broadcaster shall be deemed to be established in the Member State where it first began broadcasting in accordance with the system of law of that Member State, provided that it maintains a stable and effective link with the economy of that Member State;

(c) if a broadcaster has its head office in a Member State but decisions on programme schedules are taken in a third country, or vice-versa, it shall be deemed to be established in the Member State concerned, provided that a significant part of the workforce involved in the pursuit of the television broadcasting activity operates in that Member State.

4. Broadcasters to whom the provisions of paragraph 3 are not applicable shall be deemed to be under the jurisdiction of a Member State in the following cases:

(a) they use a frequency granted by that Member State;

(b) although they do not use a frequency granted by a Member State they do use a satellite capacity appertaining to that Member State;

(c) although they use neither a frequency granted by a Member State nor a satellite capacity appertaining to a Member State they do use a satellite up-link situated in that Member State.

5. If the question as to which Member State has jurisdiction cannot be determined in accordance with paragraphs 3 and 4, the competent Member State shall be that in which the broadcaster is established within the meaning of Articles 52 and following of the Treaty establishing the European Community.

6. This Directive shall not apply to broadcasts intended exclusively for reception in third countries, and which are not received directly or indirectly by the public in one or more Member States.`;

3. the following Article shall be inserted:

'Article 2a

1. Member States shall ensure freedom of reception and shall not restrict retransmissions on their territory of television broadcasts from other Member States for reasons which fall within the fields coordinated by this Directive.

2. Member States may, provisionally, derogate from paragraph 1 if the following conditions are fulfilled:

(a) a television broadcast coming from another Member State manifestly, seriously and gravely infringes Article 22 (1) or (2) and/or Article 22a;

(b) during the previous 12 months, the broadcaster has infringed the provision(s) referred to in (a) on at least two prior occasions;

(c) the Member State concerned has notified the broadcaster and the Commission in writing of the alleged infringements and of the measures it intends to take should any such infringement occur again;

(d) consultations with the transmitting Member State and the Commission have not produced an amicable settlement within 15 days of the notification provided for in (c), and the alleged infringement persists.

The Commission shall, within two months following notification of the measures taken by the Member State, take a decision on whether the measures are compatible with Community law. If it decides that they are not, the Member State will be required to put an end to the measures in question as a matter of urgency.

3. Paragraph 2 shall be without prejudice to the application of any procedure, remedy or sanction to the infringements in question in the Member State which has jurisdiction over the broadcaster concerned.`;

4. Article 3 shall be replaced by the following:

'Article 3

1. Member States shall remain free to require television broadcasters under their jurisdiction to comply with more detailed or stricter rules in the areas covered by this Directive.

2. Member States shall, by appropriate means, ensure, within the framework of their legislation, that television broadcasters under their jurisdiction effectively comply with the provisions of this Directive.

3. The measures shall include the appropriate procedures for third parties directly affected, including nationals of other Member States, to apply to the competent judicial or other authorities to seek effective compliance according to national provisions.

Article 3a

1. Each Member State may take measures in accordance with Community law to ensure that broadcasters under its jurisdiction do not broadcast on an exclusive basis events which are regarded by that Member State as being of major importance for society in such a way as to deprive a substantial proportion of the public in that Member State of the possibility of following such events via live coverage or deferred coverage on free television. If it does so, the Member State concerned shall draw up a list of designated events, national or non-national, which it considers to be of major importance for society. It shall do so in a clear and transparent manner in due and effective time. In so doing the Member State concerned shall also determine whether these events should be available via whole or partial live coverage, or where necessary or appropriate for objective reasons in the public interest, whole or partial deferred coverage.

2. Member States shall immediately notify to the Commission any measures taken or to be taken pursuant to paragraph 1. Within a period of three months from the notification, the Commission shall verify that such measures are compatible with Community law and communicate them to the other Member States. It shall seek the opinion of the Committee established pursuant to Article 23a. It shall forthwith publish the measures taken in the Official Journal of the European Communities and at least once a year the consolidated list of the measures taken by Member States.

3. Member States shall ensure, by appropriate means, within the framework of their legislation that broadcasters under their jurisdiction do not exercise the exclusive rights purchased by those broadcasters following the date of publication of this Directive in such a way that a substantial proportion of the public in another Member State is deprived of the possibility of following events which are designated by that other Member State in accordance with the preceding paragraphs via whole or partial live coverage or, where necessary or appropriate for objective reasons in the public interest, whole or partial deferred coverage on free television as determined by that other Member State in accordance with paragraph 1.`;

5. in Article 4 (1), the words 'and teletext services` shall be replaced by the words 'teletext services and teleshopping`;

6. in Article 5, the words 'and teletext services` shall be replaced by the words 'teletext services and teleshopping`;

7. Article 6 shall be amended as follows:

(a) paragraph 1 (a) shall be replaced by the following:

'(a) works originating from Member States;`

(b) in paragraph 1, the following subparagraph shall be added:

'Application of the provisions of (b) and (c) shall be conditional on works originating from Member States not being the subject of discriminatory measures in the third countries concerned.`;

(c) paragraph 3 shall be replaced by the following:

'3. The works referred to in paragraph 1 (c) are works made exclusively or in co-production with producers established in one or more Member States by producers established in one or more European third countries with which the Community has concluded agreements relating to the audiovisual sector, if those works are mainly made with authors and workers residing in one or more European States.`;

(d) paragraph 4 shall become paragraph 5 and the following paragraph shall be inserted:

'4. Works that are not European works within the meaning of paragraph 1 but that are produced within the framework of bilateral co-production treaties concluded between Member States and third countries shall be deemed to be European works provided that the Community co-producers supply a majority share of the total cost of the production and that the production is not controlled by one or more producers established outside the territory of the Member States.`;

(e) in the new paragraph 5, the words 'paragraph 1` shall be replaced by the words 'paragraphs 1 and 4`;

8. Article 7 shall be replaced by the following:

'Article 7

Member States shall ensure that broadcasters under their jurisdiction do not broadcast cinematographic works outside periods agreed with the rights holders.`;

9. Article 8 shall be deleted;

10. Article 9 shall be replaced by the following:

'Article 9

This Chapter shall not apply to television broadcasts that are intended for local audiences and do not form part of a national network.`;

11. the title of Chapter IV shall be replaced by the following:

'Television advertising, sponsorship and teleshopping`.

12. Article 10 shall be replaced by the following:

'Article 10

1. Television advertising and teleshopping shall be readily recognizable as such and kept quite separate from other parts of the programme service by optical and/or acoustic means.

2. Isolated advertising and teleshopping spots shall remain the exception.

3. Advertising and teleshopping shall not use subliminal techniques.

4. Surreptitious advertising and teleshopping shall be prohibited.`;

13. Article 11 shall be replaced by the following:

'Article 11

1. Advertising and teleshopping spots shall be inserted between programmes. Provided the conditions set out in paragraphs 2 to 5 are fulfilled, advertising and teleshopping spots may also be inserted during programmes in such a way that the integrity and value of the programme, taking into account natural breaks in and the duration and nature of the programme, and the rights of the rights holders are not prejudiced.

2. In programmes consisting of autonomous parts, or in sports programmes and similarly structured events and performances containing intervals, advertising and teleshopping spots shall only be inserted between the parts or in the intervals.

3. The transmission of audiovisual works such as feature films and films made for television (excluding series, serials, light entertainment programmes and documentaries), provided their scheduled duration is more than 45 minutes, may be interrupted once for each period of 45 minutes. A further interruption shall be allowed if their scheduled duration is at least 20 minutes longer than two or more complete periods of 45 minutes.

4. Where programmes, other than those covered by paragraph 2, are interrupted by advertising or teleshopping spots, a period of at least 20 minutes should elapse between each successive advertising break within the programme.

5. Advertising and teleshopping shall not be inserted in any broadcast of a religious service. News and current affairs programmes, documentaries, religious programmes and children's programmes, when their scheduled duration is less than 30 minutes, shall not be interrupted by advertising or by teleshopping. If their scheduled duration is 30 minutes or longer, the provisions of the previous paragraphs shall apply.`;

14. in Article 12, the introductory words shall be replaced by the following:

'Television advertising and teleshopping shall not:`;

15. Article 13 shall be replaced by the following:

'Article 13

All forms of television advertising and teleshopping for cigarettes and other tobacco products shall be prohibited.`;

16. in Article 14, the present text shall become paragraph 1 and the following paragraph shall be added:

'2. Teleshopping for medicinal products which are subject to a marketing authorization within the meaning of Council Directive 65/65/EEC of 26 January 1965 on the approximation of provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action relating to medicinal products (*), as well as teleshopping for medical treatment, shall be prohibited.

(*) OJ No 22, 9. 2. 1965, p. 369. Directive as last amended by Directive 93/39/EEC (OJ No L 214, 24. 8. 1993, p. 22).`;

17. in Article 15, the introductory words shall be replaced by the following:

'Television advertising and teleshopping for alcoholic beverages shall comply with the following criteria:`;

18. in Article 16, the present text shall become paragraph 1 and the following paragraph shall be added:

'2. Teleshopping shall comply with the requirements referred to in paragraph 1 and, in addition, shall not exhort minors to contract for the sale or rental of goods and services.`;

19. Article 17 shall be amended as follows:

(a) paragraph 2 shall be replaced by the following:

'2. Television programmes may not be sponsored by undertakings whose principal activity is the manufacture or sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products.`;

(b) paragraph 3 shall become paragraph 4 and the following paragraph shall be inserted:

'3. Sponsorship of television programmes by undertakings whose activities include the manufacture or sale of medicinal products and medical treatment may promote the name or the image of the undertaking but may not promote specific medicinal products or medical treatments available only on prescription in the Member State within whose jurisdiction the broadcaster falls.`;

20. Article 18 shall be replaced by the following:

'Article 18

1. The proportion of transmission time devoted to teleshopping spots, advertising spots and other forms of advertising, with the exception of teleshopping windows within the meaning of Article 18a, shall not exceed 20 % of the daily transmission time. The transmission time for advertising spots shall not exceed 15 % of the daily transmission time.

2. The proportion of advertising spots and teleshopping spots within a given clock hour shall not exceed 20 %.

3. For the purposes of this Article, advertising does not include:

- announcements made by the broadcaster in connection with its own programmes and ancillary products directly derived from those programmes;

- public service announcements and charity appeals broadcast free of charge.`;

21. the following Article shall be inserted:

'Article 18a

1. Windows devoted to teleshopping broadcast by a channel not exclusively devoted to teleshopping shall be of a minimum uninterrupted duration of 15 minutes.

2. The maximum number of windows per day shall be eight. Their overall duration shall not exceed three hours per day. They must be clearly identified as teleshopping windows by optical and acoustic means.`;

22. Article 19 shall be replaced by the following:

'Article 19

Chapters I, II, IV, V, VI, VIa and VII shall apply mutatis mutandis to channels exclusively devoted to teleshopping. Advertising on such channels shall be allowed within the daily limits established by Article 18 (1). Article 18 (2) shall not apply.`;

23. the following Article shall be inserted:

'Article 19a

Chapters I, II, IV, V, VI, VIa and VII shall apply mutatis mutandis to channels exclusively devoted to self-promotion. Other forms of advertising on such channels shall be allowed within the limits established by Article 18 (1) and (2). This provision in particular shall be subject to review in accordance with Article 26.`;

24. Article 20 shall be replaced by the following:

'Article 20

Without prejudice to Article 3, Member States may, with due regard for Community law, lay down conditions other than those laid down in Article 11 (2) to (5) and Articles 18 and 18a in respect of broadcasts intended solely for the national territory which cannot be received, directly or indirectly by the public, in one or more other Member States.`;

25. Article 21 shall be deleted.

26. the title of Chapter V shall be replaced by the following:

'Protection of minors and public order`;

27. Article 22 shall be replaced by the following:

'Article 22

1. Member States shall take appropriate measures to ensure that television broadcasts by broadcasters under their jurisdiction do not include any programmes which might seriously impair the physical, mental or moral development of minors, in particular programmes that involve pornography or gratuitous violence.

2. The measures provided for in paragraph 1 shall also extend to other programmes which are likely to impair the physical, mental or moral development of minors, except where it is ensured, by selecting the time of the broadcast or by any technical measure, that minors in the area of transmission will not normally hear or see such broadcasts.

3. Furthermore, when such programmes are broadcast in unencoded form Member States shall ensure that they are preceded by an acoustic warning or are identified by the presence of a visual symbol throughout their duration.`;

28. the following Article shall be inserted:

'Article 22a

Member States shall ensure that broadcasts do not contain any incitement to hatred on grounds of race, sex, religion or nationality.`;

29. the following Article shall be inserted:

'Article 22b

1. The Commission shall attach particular importance to application of this Chapter in the report provided for in Article 26.

2. The Commission shall within one year from the date of publication of this Directive, in liaison with the competent Member State authorities, carry out an investigation of the possible advantages and drawbacks of further measures with a view to facilitating the control exercised by parents or guardians over the programmes that minors may watch. This study shall consider, inter alia, the desirability of:

- the requirement for new television sets to be equipped with a technical device enabling parents or guardians to filter out certain programmes;

- the setting up of appropriate rating systems,

- encouraging family viewing policies and other educational and awareness measures,

- taking into account experience gained in this field in Europe and elsewhere as well as the views of interested parties such as broadcasters, producers, educationalists, media specialists and relevant associations.`;

30. Article 23 (1) shall be replaced by the following:

'1. Without prejudice to other provisions adopted by the Member States under civil, administrative or criminal law, any natural or legal person, regardless of nationality, whose legitimate interests, in particular reputation and good name, have been damaged by an assertion of incorrect facts in a television programme must have a right of reply or equivalent remedies. Member States shall ensure that the actual exercise of the right of reply or equivalent remedies is not hindered by the imposition of unreasonable terms or conditions. The reply shall be transmitted within a reasonable time subsequent to the request being substantiated and at a time and in a manner appropriate to the broadcast to which the request refers.`;

31. after Article 23, the following new Chapter VIa shall be inserted:

'CHAPTER VIa

Contact committee

Article 23a

1. A contact committee shall be set up under the aegis of the Commission. It shall be composed of representatives of the competent authorities of the Member States. It shall be chaired by a representative of the Commission and meet either on his initiative or at the request of the delegation of a Member State.

2. The tasks of this committee shall be:

(a) to facilitate effective implementation of this Directive through regular consultation on any practical problems arising from its application, and particularly from the application of Article 2, as well as on any other matters on which exchanges of views are deemed useful;

(b) to deliver own-initiative opinions or opinions requested by the Commission on the application by the Member States of the provisions of this Directive;

(c) to be the forum for an exchange of views on what matters should be dealt with in the reports which Member States must submit pursuant to Article 4 (3), on the methodology of these, on the terms of reference for the independent study referred to in Article 25a, on the evaluation of tenders for this and on the study itself;

(d) to discuss the outcome of regular consultations which the Commission holds with representatives of broadcasting organizations, producers, consumers, manufacturers, service providers and trade unions and the creative community;

(e) to facilitate the exchange of information between the Member States and the Commission on the situation and the development of regulatory activities regarding television broadcasting services, taking account of the Community's audiovisual policy, as well as relevant developments in the technical field;

(f) to examine any development arising in the sector on which an exchange of views appears useful.`;

32. the following Article shall be inserted:

'Article 25a

A further review as provided for in Article 4 (4) shall take place before 30 June 2002. It shall take account of an independent study on the impact of the measures in question at both Community and national level.`;

33. Article 26 shall be replaced by the following:

'Article 26

Not later than 31 December 2000, and every two years thereafter, the Commission shall submit to the European Parliament, the Council and the Economic and Social Committee a report on the application of this Directive as amended and, if necessary, make further proposals to adapt it to developments in the field of television broadcasting, in particular in the light of recent technological developments.`

Article 2

1. Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive not later than 31 December 1998. They shall immediately inform the Commission thereof.

When Member States adopt these measures, they shall contain a reference to this Directive or be accompanied by such reference on the occasion of their official publication. The methods of making such reference shall be laid down by Member States.

2. Member States shall communicate to the Commission the text of the main provisions of national law which they adopt in the field covered by this Directive.

Article 3

This Directive shall enter into force on the date of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

Article 4

This Directive is addressed to the Member States.