EU commission sues 5 countries over failure to impose audiovisual legislation News
EmDee, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
EU commission sues 5 countries over failure to impose audiovisual legislation

The European Commission announced Thursday that is has referred five countries to the European Union Court of Justice over their failure to implement the revised directive for audiovisual media services.

The Commission released a statement stating that Czechia, Ireland, Romania, Slovakia and Spain are all being sued for failing to transpose the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD). The AVMSD is an effort by the EU to coordinate all national legislation regarding audiovisual media. It creates standards for media sharing platforms which seek to protect viewers from consuming racial slurs or other offensive language. The directive was first created in 2018, and the EU gave member states 2 years to impose its provisions. After the failure of the five specific states to introduce the AVMSD over 4 years after its creation, the EU commission has decided to take these states to court to enforce its application.

In the statement by the EU Commission, the risks of not imposing the AVMSD were described. The statement said “Due to the delayed transposition, citizens and businesses in Czechia, Ireland, Romania, Slovakia and Spain may not be able to rely on all the provisions of the AVMSD.”

For failure the transpose the AVMSD, the five countries listed in the suit will be subject to fines for their failure to comply.

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