Supranational Regulation

Abstract

This article analyses, assesses and explains the imperatives which have affected the European Union’s (EU) audiovisual policy instruments, with particular emphasis on the Television without Frontiers (TWF) Directive, cross-media ownership regulations and the regulatory frameworks concerning converging communication services. It considers the factors which have led to competition policy becoming more important in the era of convergence and globalization. Finally, it considers whether these regulatory responses and policy interpretations illustrate the extent to which the Commission has been able (or not) to balance the increasingly conflicting imperatives of economic competitiveness with the core values of cultural identity.