The Media Board was created as the successor to the European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services and brings together national regulatory authorities across Europe. Its role is to coordinate implementation of key frameworks such as the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) and the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), while advising the European Commission.
How would you describe the role of the Media Board and tell us what has it achieved so far?
Despite being relatively new (it concluded its inaugural year in December 2025), we’ve achieved a great deal. We established foundational documents, including a statement of purpose and a multi-annual strategy, and developed a work programme in consultation with stakeholders. We’ve also delivered reports on political advertising, third-country media, the protection of minors, influencers and European works. Importantly, we’ve coordinated early implementation of the EMFA, including consultation mechanisms.
Preserving media freedom and safeguarding pluralism are highly topical issues. Can you tell us more about how the European Media Freedom Act and the Media Board contribute to these aims?
The EMFA is essential in today’s changing media landscape. It helps ensure media freedom and pluralism and it’s important that both the EMFA and the AVMSD are implemented well. The Media Board is responsible for coordinating national regulators, assessing media market concentration and issuing opinions on risks to editorial independence and pluralism.
Media literacy is crucial – young people often don’t realise how influenced they are
The EMFA is key to addressing issues of transparency, such as media ownership, and tackles third-country interference. One critical point is trust. With so many new actors in the media ecosystem, editorial responsibility is no longer guaranteed. If citizens lose trust in media, democracy is at risk. The act is a key tool to protect a trustworthy media environment.
Among younger audiences influencers are often trusted more than traditional journalists or parents. How do you try to convince young people to be more wary of people who don’t deserve their trust?
Influencers are a major challenge, especially for younger audiences who, as you say, often trust them more than they trust traditional media. Regulators are increasingly bringing them into scope.
In the Netherlands, for example, we use thresholds, such as activity levels and platform presence, to determine when influencers fall under risk-based supervision. We require transparency for commercial content and enforce labelling (for example, hashtags indicating advertising content). We also require influencers to be registered with NICAM, an organisation in the Netherlands that is responsible for protecting minors and informing their parents also about harmful content. It remains a challenge of course. As a regulator you do your best to regulate as well as you can, but regulation alone isn’t enough. Parents, platforms, educators and regulators all have a role. Media literacy is crucial – young people often don’t realise how influenced they are.
To give an example from my own experience, I’m a mother of two and my daughters claim that they don’t buy anything because of influencers. But when I see the products that they do buy, they clearly are influenced by vloggers and social media but they’re not aware of it. So as a parent it’s very important to talk to your kids. I’ll send them articles about influencers in the knowledge that they don’t read them, but sometimes you are lucky and they might.
How does the Media Board ensure its independence from political or commercial pressure?
An important question – independence is fundamental. The Media Board operates free from political and commercial influence and does not take instructions from governments or private entities. As a non-political state actor, we avoid politics altogether.
We rely on internal governance rules, professional expertise and cooperation among national regulators from 27 countries. While we work closely with the European Commission, we maintain clear boundaries.
Do you have a view about how regulators should set about tackling misinformation and fake news?
We don’t have the power to shut down misinformation outright and in any case I’m not sure that would be the right solution – media freedom must be protected. Instead, we focus on promoting trustworthy content.
For example, we encourage reliable news providers to reach audiences where they are, particularly on social media. We also work with other authorities, such as the police and public prosecutors, when content crosses into illegality.
Ultimately, this is about balance. Over-enforcement risks undermining freedom of expression, while under-enforcement risks public harm. Media literacy again plays a central role.
What are the key priorities for the Media Board in 2026?
A major focus is the expected revision of the AVMSD. We are preparing input and coordinating positions across regulators.
We are also focused on implementing the EMFA, particularly around media pluralism and freedom. Protection of citizens, especially minors, is another priority, alongside improving cooperation with other regulatory bodies such as the Digital Services Act (DSA) board.
The key message is collaboration. It would be naïve to think that any one party can solve these challenges alone.
What is the biggest challenge for regulators going forward?
We need to be bold. The challenges we face – platform power, misinformation, evolving media consumption – cannot always be addressed with existing tools.
That means thinking differently, working with new partners and being open to unconventional approaches. At the same time, we must protect core public values of media freedom, trust and pluralism. If we can balance those priorities, we will be on the right path.
Amma Asante was talking to Isolde Goggin.
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