Council Conclusions

of 23 July 2001

on the Commission's Evaluation Report on the application of the recommendation concerning the protection of minors and human dignity

(2001/C 213/03)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

1. WELCOMES the Commission's Evaluation Report of 27 February 2001 on the application of the Council Recommendation 98/560/EC of 24 September 1998 on the development of the competitiveness of the European audiovisual and information services industry by promoting national frameworks aimed at achieving a comparable and effective level of protection of minors and human dignity,

2. NOTES the Report's conclusions, which overall show encouraging results as regards the application of the Recommendation, but which also emphasise that users, including consumers, should have been more involved and that two years may be a relatively short period for fully applying the recommendation,

3. NOTES that the activities concerning digital broadcasting so far are fairly modest and that renewed efforts need to be made to ensure a coherent approach regarding the protection of minors and human dignity adapted to each mode of delivery of audiovisual media, for example Internet TV and interactive broadcasting,

4. WELCOMES the actions developed in the context of the multiannual Community action plan on promoting safer use of the Internet by combating illegal and harmful content on global networks, (Decision No 276/1999/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council)(1),

5. RECALLS the Commission Communication of 14 December 1999 on principles and guidelines for the Community's audiovisual policy in the digital age, in particular the aspects related to the protection of minors, in which the Commission concludes, inter alia, that the protection of minors will be amongst the particular areas for attention within the Community's audiovisual policy over the next five years,

6. RECALLSthe television without frontiers Directive (Council Directive 89/552/EEC(2), Article 22 of which provides for a minimum level of protection of minors with regard to television broadcasting, and also the results of the study on parental control of television broadcasting, carried out by the Commission in accordance with the requirements of Article 22(b)(2) of that Directive,

7. AWARE OF the European Parliament resolution of 5 October 2000 on the Commission Communication on the study on parental control of television broadcasting, stressing the need to introduce effective systems to protect minors from the increasing amount of harmful media content,

8. RECALLS the Council conclusions of 17 December 1999 on the protection of minors in the light of the development of digital audiovisual services, which, inter alia, underline the need to bring together the industries and the other parties concerned in order to examine ways to achieve greater clarity in the way audiovisual content is evaluated and rated in Europe, both within and between the various sectors concerned and to support the exchange of information and best practice regarding the protection of minors,

9. RECALLS that the Council conclusions of 17 December 1999 note the importance of activities aimed at protecting minors from harmful audiovisual content through improved levels of media literacy and through measures to raise awareness,

10. NOTES the report by the Presidency of the Council and conclusions from the expert seminar on children and young people in the new media landscape in Stockholm on 12 and 13 February 2001, organised by the Swedish Presidency of the European Union in cooperation with the Commission, which had the primary aim of drawing attention to the issue of how minors can be protected from harmful content in different media due to rapid technical development,

11. INVITES the Member States, on the basis of the Evaluation Report, to:

(a) continue their work to promote the application of the recommendation and, within that context, to pay particular attention to the need to encourage the participation of users, including consumers;

(b) disseminate the results of the application of the recommendation to the parties concerned including, inter alia, users, consumers, industry and authorities, with the aim of promoting the exchange of experience, the development of new skills and good practice regarding the protection of minors,

12. INVITES the Commission, on the basis of the Evaluation Report, to:

(a) continue its work, on the basis of the encouraging results which have been achieved hitherto, and promote the application of the recommendation by facilitating the exchange of experience and good practice at Community level on the protection of minors in respect of all audiovisual media;

(b) report to the Council, with reference to the fact that two years may be a relatively short period for fully applying the recommendation, at an appropriate moment, and preferably before 31 December 2002, on the effect of the recommendation and the outcome regarding the new and promising initiatives taken in the Member States;

(c) continue the dialogue with the different parties involved, and particularly with the industry, on the possibilities for implementing technical systems for parental control in the digital environment.

(1) OJ L 33, 6.2.1999, p. 1.

(2) OJ L 298, 17.10.1989, p. 23. Directive as amended by Directive 97/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 202, 30.7.1997, p. 60).