EU: Next Commission must strive for an open information environment

The European Parliament elections in June 2024 are an opportunity for the incoming European Commission to reaffirm its commitments to promote freedom of expression and access to information. Ahead of this important milestone, ARTICLE 19 shares its vision for a European Union where the information environment is open, decentralised, fair, diverse, and inclusive, alongside our recommendations for the incoming European Commission to work towards that vision by focusing its next term on the effective implementation and enforcement of the legislation passed in the last 5 years.

ARTICLE 19 believes that the incoming European Commission should not miss the opportunity to reaffirm its leadership in promoting freedom of expression and access to information, and should strive for our vision of a European Union where the information environment is open, decentralised, fair, diverse, and inclusive.This will require consistent multi-stakeholder engagement, including with civil society organisations and research institutions, to fully and effectively implement legislation passed in the last 5 years.

ARTICLE 19 sets out four key priorities for the 2024-2029 European Commission:

1. The EU creates the conditions for an open, fair, pluralistic, and decentralised communication environment with a focus on the full and effective implementation of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the Artificial Intelligence Act (the AI Act), the Digital Services Act (DSA), the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), and the Anti-SLAPPs Directive.
2. The EU embeds human rights throughout the technology stack, the mainstay of the information ecosystem, and considers the human rights implications of infrastructure technologies.
3. The EU builds on last year's progress by promoting increased transparencyand public access to information before EU institutions.
4. The EU is a strong advocate for all these goals in international fora, contributing to the establishment and support of an open, diverse, and resilient information ecosystem worldwide.

Meaningful participation of civil society and other stakeholders is crucial to the new European Commission's achievement of all of these goals. The Commission must actively create the conditions for civil society engagement in implementation and enforcement of legislation. This includes providing funding, resources, and space for dialogue at fora such as roundtables and workshops, like the Commission's DMA gatekeeper workshops in March 2024. Communication channels with civil society should be avenues for ongoing dialogue with opportunities for response.

ARTICLE 19 welcomes the opportunity that the incoming European Commission has to deepen its commitment to fundamental rights and stands ready to offer assistance.

Read the full manifesto