Council of Europe

The Council of Europe sees an important role for independent regulatory bodies entrusted with responsibility for regulating the audiovisual sector at the national level, which contributes to fostering the development of an enabling environment for freedom of expression. Genuine independence in law and practice is a prerequisite for these bodies to carry out their tasks practically, transparently and accountable. The Council of Europe recognises that adequate regulation is essential to ensure the existence of a wide range of independent and autonomous media in the audiovisual media sector. The regulatory framework must guarantee freedom of expression while balancing this freedom and other legitimate rights and interests. To this end, specially appointed national regulatory authorities (NRAs), which enjoy genuine independence, guaranteed by law and tested in practice, have an essential role. The European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO) is also part of the Council of Europe. It was set up in Strasbourg in 1992 to respond to the significant need for more information and transparency in the sector. It continues to provide a comparative European overview of the audiovisual industry in 40 different countries and a detailed analysis of national and even regional sectors.