Growing threats to media pluralism and the independence of the media

Recommendation 2313 (2026)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Assembly debate on 30 September 2026 (32nd sitting) (see Doc. 16468, report of the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media, rapporteur: Ms Valentina Grippo; and Doc. 16474, opinion of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, rapporteur: Ms Gala Veldhoen). Text adopted by the Assembly on 30 September 2026 (32nd sitting).Provisional version subject to editorial review.

1. The Parliamentary Assembly refers to its Resolution 2675 (2026) “Growing threats to media pluralism and the independence of the media” which draws the attention of the Council of Europe member States to the increasing editorial control of the media sector by political and economic actors (so-called “media capture”), the mounting pressure against public service media, the emergence of “news deserts”, and the intensification of competition and market dominance from online platforms.

2. As recalled in Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)1 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on media pluralism and transparency of media ownership, transparency of media ownership can be helpful in making media pluralism effective by bringing ownership structures behind the media – which can influence editorial policies – to the awareness of the public and regulatory authorities.

3. Currently, however, there is no single body that provides Europe-wide information on media ownership.

4. The Assembly congratulates the Committee of Ministers for its unwavering commitment to the principles of media pluralism and the independence of the media in Europe, and invites it to collaborate with the member States and the European Union towards the creation of a pan-European database of media ownership in Europe.

5. In accordance with the guidance provided in Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)1, this database should aim at providing the public with easy, swift and effective access to data about media ownership and control arrangements in the whole of Europe, including disaggregated data about different types of media (markets/sectors) and regional and/or local levels, as relevant. These data should be kept up to date and made available to the public free of charge and without delay, and their availability should be made public. Their contents should be made available in open formats and there should be no restrictions on their reuse.

6. The body in charge of administering this database should publish regular reports on media ownership in Europe.