The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission’s 2018 Annual Report to the US Congress deals, among other issues, with China’s influence. Ivana Karásková, ChinfluenCE lead coordinator, and Matej Šimalčík, project’s coordinator for Slovakia, were interviewed for the report. They argue that the current EU investment screening mechanism addresses media investments, but the measure is not robust enough because it creates only a reporting procedure, not a regulatory framework. On the member states level, it would be wise to consider media as a strategic industry (in political, rather than economic sense) and protect them through the screening mechanism or at least, for instance, law prohibiting cross-media ownership. Such a law already exists in Slovakia.
Investment screening mechanism should cover media
The full report could be found here. The media ownership is addressed at Chapter 3, Section 2.
Photo credits to Michael Judkins (Pexels License).
About the Author: AMO
AMO is a non-governmental not–for–profit Prague-based organization founded in 1997. Its main aim is to promote research and education in the field of international relations. AMO facilitates expression and realization of ideas, thoughts, and projects in order to increase education, mutual understanding, and tolerance among people.