The News Media Europe (NME) association, representing European print media publishers, has called for a fundamental revision and simplification of the European Union's digital legislation. According to publishers, current rules suffer from increasing complexity and administrative burdens that do not correspond to actual risks. In their official statement on the Commission's upcoming "Digital Fitness Check," they state that the current framework often complicates business more than the problems it was originally intended to solve.
The main criticism is that EU rules focus more on requiring demanding procedures than on monitoring specific results. This leads to a situation where enforcement and compliance are difficult, reducing their overall effectiveness. Publishers therefore demand legislation that is understandable, effective, and based on the level of real risk, not on blanket obligations.
“Rules must change and adapt to business realities to remain business-friendly and proportionate,” the association states in its position paper.
NME emphasizes that news services fundamentally differ from ordinary digital platforms in their democratic function, editorial responsibility, and legal liability for published content. The current situation, where horizontal obligations apply to all entities without distinction, they argue, disregards the specifics of the media market. Moreover, measures originally intended to assist small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are deemed completely inadequate by publishers.
For the future of independent journalism, the association believes it is crucial for the regulatory environment to consider sustainable revenue models, such as subscriptions and responsible advertising. The aim of the demands is to enable news organizations to prosper without excessive bureaucratic burdens, which currently hinder effective public information.
The association welcomes the European Commission's political effort to simplify rules but emphasizes that the proposed "digital omnibus" must go much further than currently planned. Risk-based rules should replace the existing inflexible system, which does not reflect the specific role of media in the digital space.