EU report wants to regulate media across Europe

According to the Telegraph, an EU report is calling for tight press regulation and demanding that officials are given control of national media supervisors with powers to enforce fines and the dismissal of journalists.

The paper says the "high level" EU panel includes Latvia's former president and a former German justice minister and was ordered by European commission vice-president Neelie Kroes last year to report on "media freedom and pluralism".

The report concluded that it is time to introduce new rules to rein in the press.

"All EU countries should have independent media councils. Media councils should have real enforcement powers, such as the imposition of fines, orders for printed or broadcast apologies, or removal of journalistic status," it said.