Source: European Parliament
As this is an ongoing investigation, the Commission is unable to comment on the specific case referred to by the Honourable Member.
Regarding the first question, the Commission allocates funding to media-related projects through various programmes and funding lines, particularly under the Creative Europe programme, the multimedia actions and pilot projects and preparatory actions (PPPA). In calls focusing on news media, applicants must submit a declaration on editorial standards and independence.
Under Creative Europe[1], all calls require compliance with the highest ethical standards. Each grant agreement includes clauses addressing conflicts of interest, obligating beneficiaries to prevent any situations that could compromise impartiality.
Non-compliance may result in a reduction or termination of the grant. In the context of multimedia and news-related PPPA, specific rules concerning quality standards and ethics are outlined in an annex attached to each grant agreement.
As for the second question, the Commission has not received specific information from the French or German authorities.
Nonetheless, the Commission is in regular contact with all Member States in the context of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA)[2] application, starting from 8 August 2025.
The Commission is monitoring how Member States are ensuring compliance with EMFA requirements that are related to the prevention of conflicts of interest and the independent management of publicly funded media.
- [1] Regulation (EU) 2021/818 establishing the creative Europe programme (2021 to 2027) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32021R0818
- [2] Regulation (EU) 2024/1083 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 establishing a common framework for media services in the internal market and amending Directive 2010/13/EU.