Mr President, I was particularly pleased to hear the final remarks of Commissioner Vanni d'Archirafi because on 21 September this year you, Mr Commissioner, held a press conference to announce the Commission's latest communication on the subject we are discussing here today. The European Parliament was not informed or consulted. We read instead headlines in the US Herald Tribune the next day, and I quote: "European Union ducks showdown over media ownership". This behaviour on the part of the Commission is unacceptable: it is one of the reasons we have this oral question here today. I believe that action shows contempt for this House. We, not journalists, represent the public interest and we should be informed of the Commission's intention to act in this important sphere before the world's media learn of it.

(Applause)

We therefore want an assurance that this will not happen again. We should be equal partners, and the Commission should inform - as you said you are willing to do, Mr Commissioner - and consult this House out of duty and respect before it consults the world's media.

And now we finally have a communication which seeks, sadly, to ignore the majority will of this House, as expressed in the Fayot-Schinzel report of 20 January 1994, namely that the Commission should draw up a directive on media concentration and pluralism. The Commission, having consulted the major players, is now saying to us that it believes they will have to be consulted all over again.

So why should it act now and come forward as soon as possible with a directive? You yourself have said in speeches to this Parliament, and again in the communication, and I quote: "A Community initiative on media ownership might prove to be necessary for the freedoms of the internal market cannot be put into practice at the expense of pluralism." You further say: "We must achieve a delicate balance between the need to facilitate access to media activities and the need to prevent pluralism-threatening concentrations which cannot be stopped by applying competition law." We agree with you, Mr Commissioner. But above all we in my Group wish to emphasize that the European Union also has a duty to support and strengthen democracy. Ensuring pluralism and diversity in the media is essential to achieving that. You have already consulted widely, though mainly those, it has to be said, with clear vested interests in the outcome. Only this Parliament, I want to emphasize, can truly represent the public interest. Our vie

ws should be paramount in how the Community should go forward and we have said you should act now. Therefore, we call on you not to engage in a further round of consultations before you draw up a directive. Technologies are moving so fast, if we delay another year our work will be even more difficult. Therefore my Group is asking you to start work now on a directive with a clear timetable which will take as its starting-point the objective of creating and maintaining a diverse and pluralistic form of opinion in the media - press, radio and TV - which will be in the interests of Europe's citizens.

We may need a level playing-field for all media industries, but this must never be a goal pursued to the detriment of pluralism.

By all means continue to consult all the major players in parallel with your own work. Please do not forget independent academic institutes. But above all you must respect the views of this House which are those of the only body which can represent the public interest in this sphere.

I believe you have a very good idea already of the content of any future directive. You have already collected a lot of studies in this field. I believe you can start work now even if you run parallel consultations. The Commission, as much as this Parliament, has a duty first and foremost to ensure that this happens. The Commission cannot abdicate its duty, which is now clearly set out in the Treaties - Articles 3P and 128.

Finally, I wish to say to the Commissioner: let us remember once again that external and internal pluralism of the media must not be viewed just from the perspective of the internal market but above all as one of the principal pillars of our democracy. We cannot allow the domination, for example, of the printed word by a handful of tabloid tyrants peddling their own brand of politics. You do have a duty beyond the internal market - to ensure culturally that all Europe's voices are heard, all Europe's stories are told through every aspect of our media. We too have to prevent "Dallas" and "Dynasty" filling every screen across our continent. The Commission must take a holistic and balanced approach to this problem, acting now in partnership with this House, and indeed in partnership with other Commissioners, like Mr Pinheiro and Mr Van Miert.

My final question therefore is: will you give us a precise calendar as to when you plan to present a directive to this House?

(Applause)