Formal Independence of European Electronic Media Market Regulators

Paweł Stępka

English version of the article

This paper is a comparative content analysis of The electronic media regulatory authorities are a vital element of European countries' media sphere. Although their shape and scope of competence may significantly differ from country to country, the postulate on guaranteeing their independence from politics as well as the media they regulate is a universal one. The fact that these structures remain independent was frequently emphasized by European international organizations such as the European Union and the Council of Europe. This article discusses the phenomenon of European electronic media market regulators' formal independence in its three aspects: political independence, independence of media subjects and organizational autonomy. Based on empirical data analysis distinguished were also those legal instruments fundamental in character to the preservation of formal independence of market regulators.

KEYWORDS

independent regulatory authority, broadcasting media, the European Union, the Council of Europe