Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach. Tá mé sásta go léifear an Bille don Dara hUair anois.
Dlí tábhachtach is é an Bille um Rialáil na Meán agus tá áthas orm é a chur faoi bhráid an Tí. The main aim of the Bill is to implement the European Media Freedom Act, EMFA, into Irish law. The EMFA is an EU regulation which seeks to protect media freedom and pluralism across all member states.
A free, independent media is a key pillar of democracy and is essential for healthy public debate. In Ireland, freedom of the press is enshrined in our Constitution, and we have a robust legislative and policy framework in place to ensure an independent and diverse media sector. This has been recognised in the recently published world press freedom index for 2026, which ranked Ireland seventh in the world for media freedom. While this is something that we should be proud of, we must continue to maintain and improve this standard.
The EMFA is a regulation, which means it is directly applicable in Irish law. Ireland's regulatory framework is already largely in line with the EMFA. However, some elements require further implementation in order to have full effect. The Media Regulation Bill will further align our regulatory framework with the requirements of the EMFA. It will do so by focusing primarily on two areas, namely, the amendment on our existing media mergers regime and the introduction of new rules to increase transparency in advertising by public bodies.
With regard to media mergers, our existing media merger regime is set out in the Competition Act 2002, as amended. This Bill maintains the same overall approach when introducing targeted reforms to increase efficiency of the process and to ensure full alignment with the EMFA. Most notably, overall responsibility for the media mergers function will transfer from my Department to Coimisiún na Meán. The EMFA requires national media regulators to be responsible for or at least substantively involved in the assessment of media mergers. This transfer of responsibility will leverage an coimisiún's expertise. Its status as an independent regulator will address any potential perception of a political element to decisions regarding media mergers.
Another significant change is that mergers and acquisitions involving online platforms will now come into scope. It is an important amendment which takes into account the digital transformation of media and the ways in which we access and consume it. The Bill also introduces a turnover threshold whereby the media business being acquired must have sales of at least €2 million in the State to require notification to Coimisiún na Meán. This will ensure that the regulatory process is proportionate and focused on the most impactful of mergers. In order to capture any exceptional cases which do not meet this threshold, an coimisiún will have the power to call in mergers where it is of the view that there is likely to be a significant impact on media plurality or editorial independence.
The Bill will also address the issue of advertising by public bodies. Public bodies spend a significant amount of money on advertising with media organisations each year and this is an important source of revenue for those businesses. It is important that there is a high standard of transparency regarding that expenditure. Under the EMFA, public bodies must ensure that expenditure on advertising with media services or online platforms is allocated in a transparent and non-discriminatory manner. Public bodies must also publish annual information on the total amount spent on advertising and amounts spent with individual media services and online platforms.
The Bill contains a number of implementing provisions to give full effect to these requirements, including a definition of public authority or entity, detailed timelines for the publication of expenditure information and an obligation to publish a plan for compliance with the EMFA's requirements. Coimisiún na Mean will be designated as the body responsible for monitoring State advertising in Ireland and will be required to produce an annual report based on the information published by public bodies. An coimisiún will develop guidelines to assist public bodies in fulfilling their obligations.
The Bill will also entrust Coimisiún na Meán with a number of other functions under the EMFA. Coimisiún na Meán will be responsible for developing a database containing information on the ownership of all media services in the State. An coimisiún already manages a similar database, mediaownership.ie, but the Bill will establish a statutory basis for the database and set out how it needs to be developed further in line with the EMFA's requirements.
The Bill also sets out a new role for Coimisiún na Meán regarding transparency of audience measurement. An coimisiún will be tasked with encouraging audience measurement providers operating outside of industry-agreed standards, particularly online, to draw up and adhere to jointly-agreed codes of conduct.
It is important to note that some provisions of the EMFA will be implemented separately to the Bill. Safeguards for the independence of public service media, such as RTÉ and TG4, are being implemented through the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill, while adjustments to criminal justice legislation are being progressed by the Department of justice to strengthen the protection of journalistic sources.
I note the urgency of the Bill. As most of the EMFA's provisions have applied since August last year, it is important that this Bill is progressed to enactment as quickly as possible to ensure that we are in compliance with EU law. Having said that, the Government is fully committed to debating the Bill as required through the Oireachtas process. I look forward to a constructive discussion on these issues with Senators in the Chamber today.
