European newspaper publishers, battling to secure their future, met European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, on 30 June in Brussels, to push for an “immediate response” by the EU to the sector’s problems, especially the culture of free services on the internet. They stressed three priorities for the next five to ten years: advertising, copyright and new business models, such as ‘paid-for offers’ (on all platforms).

The head of the EU executive met the ten members of the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association (ENPA) and the representatives of key papers, such as Reutlinger General Anzeiger(Germany), Daily Mail (UK) and Le Figaro (France). All warned against the collapse of the press and its business model. “This meeting [...] comes at a crucial moment and at a crossroads for newspapers in Europe. Publishers are currently debating not only the future of advertising revenues but also how to monetise their content, notably in the digital environment. These reflections are particularly important and challenging at a time where the economic crisis, structural changes and the ‘free for all’ tendency affect newspapers’ development,” said ENPA President Valdo Lehari Jr.

European newspapers have to be able to rely over the long term on advertising income “without further restrictions or bans”. They also need rules on fair competition with all market players, “including search engines”.

The newspaper publishers also called for “prior authorisation” and “appropriate remuneration” from any third party using editorial content for commercial purposes. The crucial question, not only for the press, is that of online copyright: a “strong copyright policy is essential to the future and survival of the press,” warned the publishers. They mentioned the need to guard against “free riding” news “aggregators”.

Lastly, the EU should facilitate the promotion of new business models for the online press, such as paid-for services.

COHERENT POLITICAL MESSAGE

Barroso expressed understanding, noting that “freedom of the media is a public good”. He added: “Personally, I like to read newspapers as they are agenda setting. They have a role that no one can replace and they shape opinion”. He highlighted the EU’s digital strategy: the potential of global demand for information and communication technologies is a market worth €2,000 billion. The question is how European firms can get a bigger share in the battle for information and content.

The publishers also asked the Commission president to ensure a coherent political message within his institution’s different services.

They mentioned the need to guard against “free riding” news “aggregators”