ERGA is the most important international forum for audiovisual media regulators in the EU context. As an advisory body to the European Commission, the ERGA provides a platform for regulators to influence the implementation of existing EU legislation and the development of new legislation or its modification. The ERGA is composed of representatives of the regulatory authorities of the EU Member States and provides a platform for cooperation and coordination between national regulators in the field of audiovisual media services.
On 3rd February 2014, the European Commission adopted a decision establishing the ERGA and setting out the objectives of the Group:
- to advise and assist the Commission in its work, to ensure the consistent implementation of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD), as well as in all other matters relating to audiovisual media services within the Commission's remit,
- facilitate cooperation between EU regulators, as set out in the AVMSD,
- to enable the exchange of experience and best practices.
In 2023, ERGA's main priorities include three thematic areas:
- Implementation and enforcement of the legal framework of the AVMSD,
- the EU regulatory framework, with an emphasis on the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) and the implementation of the Digital Services Act (DSA),
- Disinformation.
The ERGA sub-group on online disinformation is led by the Council for Media Services, represented by the Head of the Analytical Department, S. Matějka. The group has produced several research reports, guidelines and recommendations for preparing a strengthened European Code of Practice against the dissemination of disinformation. In its report Notions of Disinformation and Related Concepts, published in March 2021, ERGA presented guidance on how to find common definitions for the concepts of disinformation, misinformation or political advertising. The document ERGA Recommendations for the New Code of Practice on Disinformation aimed to contribute to the debate on strengthening the Code of Practice on Disinformation and new legislation to increase the transparency of online political advertising. A working group led by the Council for Media Services has developed comments on the forthcoming EU legislation on the regulation of online political advertising.