MEP David Casa has insisted that the European Commission should make a proposal for a transparent and unbiased mechanism which would be used for the allocation of state-aid for media houses across Europe.

He said that the amounts and the recipients of such funding should be made public and constantly reviewed.

Casa made his appeal during a meeting with the vice-president of the European Commission for Values and Transparency, Vera Jourova, and the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton.

Casa participated in this meeting as the co-chair of the European Parliament’s media working group.

Earlier this year, Casa teamed up with colleagues from across the political spectrum and proposed the establishment of a News Media Fund, a permanent dedicated support mechanism for journalists and media houses.

Referring to the challenges faced by media houses across Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic, David Casa said the sector has been hit significantly, and the European Union’s priority should be to provide the needed support as soon as possible.

He insisted that while member states should be provided with the resources to support media houses, “we must ensure that such funding will not affect media pluralism and risk editorial censorship. “The mechanism proposed will prevent government from using the funds under their management to pressure media houses in their reporting,” Casa said.

In the meeting, Casa, who forms part of the European Parliament’s bureau and its working group on information and communication policy, welcomed Commissioner Jourova’s commitment to presenting anti-SLAPP legislation as early as next year.

The commissioners also informed MEPs present for the meeting of their efforts to present the European Democracy Action Plan.

The objective of the plan is to ensure that citizens are able to fully participate in the democratic system through informed decision-making. Media freedom and pluralism will be key components of this plan.