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The President of the Republic decided not to enact the decree that approves the Law on Pluralism and Non Media Concentration.
Regarding this decision the Presidency of the Republic is issuing the following communiqué:
1 – The above referred Law was approved at a time when the European Commission is promoting the determination of credible criteria and objective indicators concerning pluralism of means used by the media, and there is no reason that can justify any urgency in enacting such far reaching legislation.
2 – This decree, anyway, brings about its own precariousness when safeguarding the future application of the pluralism and independence indicators which will eventually be adopted by community law.
3 – On the other hand, it is not advisable to recur, as is the case in question, to indeterminate concepts – such as «rating tools recognized in the media environment» -, which may give rise to instability in the industry and place in jeopardy the independence of the companies and their viability.
4 – Moreover, in the current economic environment, and even for the safeguard of the independence and pluralism of the media, there is no visible reason to exclude, ab initio, the possibility of the interference of the State or other public bodies in this sector of activity.
5 – Since it is very convenient that the European area maintains harmonized criteria in this matter, the course to be followed should be to await the results of the work being progressed in the community institutions, which will soon become available and, based upon these, obtain an enlarged political consensus for the approval of objective, clear and transparent rules in an area which appears crucial for the safeguard of the freedom of the press and for the quality of democracy, the relevance of which is immediately in sight due the constitutional obligation for a two thirds majority for the approval in Parliament of legislation regarding a regulator for the media.
You can read here the full text of the message sent to Parliament by the President of the Republic
© 2006-2016 Presidency of the Portuguese Republic
You have gained access to the records of the Official Site of the Presidency of the Republic from 9 March 2006 to 9 March 2016.
The contents available here were entered in the site during the 10 year period covering the two mandates of President of the Republic Aníbal Cavaco Silva.
