By Martin Banks - 8th October 2009
It is not needed to deal with some imaginary threat
Viviane Reding
EU commissioner Viviane Reding has clashed with ALDE leader Guy Verhofstadt on the issue of media pluralism.
It comes after Verhofstadt demanded new EU legislation to combat concentration of media ownership in the hands of a single person.
Speaking on Thursday during a parliamentary plenary debate on media freedom, the former Belgian PM urged the commission to introduce a directive on this issue.
His demand comes in the wake of growing concern over the freedom of the media in Italy.
On Saturday, thousands marched in Rome to protest what they say is the grip Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has on Italy's media.
Some MEPs, including Greens joint leader Danny Cohn-Bendit, have also voiced concern about the alleged lack of press freedom in Italy.
Responding to Verhofstadt's call, Reding, the commissioner for information society and media, said, "I realise there are many concerns about this issue and that is something we should take seriously."
She told this website, "However, the freedom of the press is regularly monitored but EU legislation is not the answer. It is not needed to deal with some imaginary threat."
Reding was speaking at a conference of media publishers in Brussels.
During the parliamentary debate, EPP leader Joseph Daul once again denounced "the unfortunate use of this European institution for dealing with a national debate."
He condemned "the unfair and dishonest trial brought against the government of a European state in which the rule of law is applied as rigorously as in the rest of Europe."
Quoting Italian president Giorgio Napolitano, he said, "Parliament cannot be a sounding board for national conflicts and political debates that take place in member states or their national parliaments. Nor can it act as a court of appeal."
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