Czech media coalitions establish ten-point self-regulation framework

Czech media associations and public service broadcasters announced a coordinated self-regulatory framework on August 8, 2025, directly coinciding with the European Media Freedom Act taking full effect. The ten professional organizations unveiled their collaborative "Ten Commandments" approach designed to meet EMFA compliance requirements while maintaining editorial independence across the nation's media landscape.

According to the press release, the self-regulatory ten-point code "reflects the requirements of this European regulation" and represents more than a year of preparation by entities operating within Czech media markets. The announcement came precisely as the European Media Freedom Act entered full implementation across all European Union member states.

The Association for Internet Development in the Czech Republic coordinated the announcement alongside nine other major media organizations. These include the Association of Commercial Televisions, Association of Online Publishers, Association of Private Broadcasters, Czech National Committee of the International Press Institute, Czech Radio, Czech Television, Czech Press Agency, Czech Publishers' Union, and the Syndicate of Journalists of the Czech Republic.

Filip Dotlačil, PA manager for SPIR, serves as the primary contact for inquiries regarding the initiative. The organizations indicated that detailed implementation information would be published throughout September on their respective websites.

The European Media Freedom Act, formally entering force on August 8, 2025, introduces comprehensive protections for media freedom, pluralism, and editorial independence throughout the European Union. The regulation establishes unprecedented safeguards against surveillance of media professionals while introducing transparency requirements for media ownership and state advertising allocation.

Czech media entities have spent over twelve months addressing implementation questions regarding self-regulation requirements under the new European framework. According to the announcement, the participating organizations "announce that they have agreed on the form of the so-called Ten Commandments for the purpose of joint self-regulation of the industry."

The self-regulatory framework prioritizes media freedom principles while maintaining transparency and public accountability standards. The signatory organizations confirm their commitment to complying with principles formulated within their Ten Commandments structure. An integral component involves defending freedom of expression and maintaining free media environments across participating entities.

The Czech coalition positions itself as ready to fulfill roles assigned by EMFA regulations. The participating entities will serve as partners for very large online platforms and state institutions in all areas where EMFA assumes self-regulatory functions. This partnership approach reflects the regulation's emphasis on collaborative governance between media organizations, digital platforms, and public authorities.

The EMFA regulation requires member states to establish transparent, objective criteria for state advertising allocation and public funding distribution. Article 25 mandates that public authorities make criteria and procedures publicly available through electronic means in advance. National regulatory authorities must be involved substantively in media market concentration assessments, applying objective, non-discriminatory, and proportionate criteria.

Czech public service broadcasters Czech Radio and Czech Television participate alongside commercial television associations and online publishers. This cross-sector collaboration demonstrates industry consensus on regulatory compliance approaches. The inclusion of both public and private media entities reflects EMFA's comprehensive scope covering all media service providers within the European Union.

The regulation addresses growing concerns about media surveillance and editorial interference. Member states face strict limitations on deploying intrusive surveillance software against media service providers and their editorial staff. The legislation establishes robust protection mechanisms for journalists and their sources while enhancing transparency requirements for media ownership structures.

Czech media organizations must now implement comprehensive disclosure requirements for media service providers. Article 6 mandates that providers make easily accessible information about legal names, ownership structures, beneficial owners, and annual amounts of public funds received for state advertising. Member states must establish national media ownership databases serving as centralized repositories for ownership transparency.

The Ten Commandments framework supports industry self-regulation while preparing for formal memorandum adoption in coming months. The organizations stated they "will focus on adopting a memorandum that will address the application processes of this ten-point code" during the implementation period.

Media market concentration assessments must consider expected impacts on media pluralism, editorial independence safeguards, economic sustainability of involved parties, and relevant findings from the Commission's annual rule of law reports. The European Board for Media Services will provide opinions on concentrations likely to affect internal market functioning.

For marketing professionals and advertising industry stakeholders, these developments create new transparency requirements affecting media buying and placement strategies. European digital advertising reached €118.9 billion with 16% growth in 2024, highlighting the significant economic stakes involved in media regulation compliance.

The Czech self-regulatory initiative represents one of the first comprehensive national responses to EMFA implementation requirements. Other member states continue developing their approaches to meeting regulation obligations while balancing industry concerns with public interest protections.

Very large online platforms must now establish partnerships with national media organizations for content moderation and audience measurement transparency. The regulation recognizes that platforms with significant audience reach compete directly with traditional media service providers whose content they distribute.

Audience measurement systems face enhanced scrutiny under EMFA provisions. The regulation covers measurement systems enabling collection, interpretation, or processing of information about media content usage and user-created content on platforms primarily used for accessing such material. This ensures transparency about audience measurement activities, fostering informed decision-making by media service providers and advertisers.

The regulation requires member states to designate independent authorities for monitoring public service media compliance with funding and editorial independence requirements. Public service media funding must follow transparent, objective criteria established in advance with adequate, sustainable, and predictable financial resources corresponding to their public service remit.

Political advertising faces additional scrutiny under parallel European regulations. Google announced withdrawal from EU political advertising markets ahead of the Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising regulation taking effect in October 2025.

The Czech framework development occurred alongside broader European regulatory initiatives affecting digital advertising and media operations. The European Commission dismissed censorship claims around the Digital Services Act, emphasizing that 35% of content removal challenges succeeded through established appeals processes.

Media ownership transparency requirements extend beyond basic disclosure to encompass beneficial ownership structures and public funding relationships. The regulation aims to enable media service recipients to identify and understand potential conflicts of interest as prerequisites for informed democratic participation.

Cross-border media operations face harmonized standards under EMFA provisions recognizing that media professionals increasingly work on cross-border projects providing services to cross-border audiences. This drives the European Union's harmonization approach to journalist protections and editorial independence safeguards.

The regulation establishes the European Board for Media Services, replacing the European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services with enhanced powers for cross-border cooperation. The Board coordinates measures concerning media services from outside the Union targeting EU audiences where such services present serious risks to public security.

National regulatory authorities may request cooperation from counterparts in other member states, including accelerated cooperation procedures when facing serious risks of limitation to freedom of providing or receiving media services. This creates networked oversight mechanisms addressing cross-border media regulatory challenges.

Implementation complexity increases as multiple regulatory frameworks overlap including the General Data Protection Regulation, Digital Markets Act, and emerging AI Act requirements. This regulatory convergence creates substantial compliance challenges for platforms while potentially enhancing user protections across the digital media ecosystem.

The Czech self-regulatory initiative demonstrates proactive industry engagement with European regulatory frameworks rather than reactive compliance approaches. The collaborative methodology involving both public and private media entities provides a model for other member states developing their EMFA implementation strategies.

Timeline

• August 8, 2025: European Media Freedom Act takes full effect, Czech media organizations announce ten-point self-regulatory framework
• July 2025: European Commission releases political advertising implementation guidance for Regulation 2024/900
• July 14, 2025: European advertising industry opposes Digital Fairness Act consultation scope
• May 2025: European digital advertising reaches €118.9 billion with 16% annual growth
• August 21, 2025: Google announces Display & Video 360 API enforcement for EU political advertising declarations
• August 28, 2025: European Commission spokesperson defends Digital Services Act against censorship allegations
• September 2025: Czech media organizations plan to publish detailed implementation information
• October 10, 2025: EU Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising regulation takes effect

Summary

Who: Ten major Czech media associations and public service broadcasters including Czech Radio, Czech Television, Association of Commercial Televisions, Association of Online Publishers, Association of Private Broadcasters, Czech National Committee of the International Press Institute, Czech Press Agency, Czech Publishers' Union, Association for Internet Development in the Czech Republic, and Syndicate of Journalists of the Czech Republic.

What: A collaborative self-regulatory ten-point framework ("Ten Commandments") designed to meet European Media Freedom Act compliance requirements while maintaining media freedom principles, transparency standards, and editorial independence across Czech media markets.

When: Announced on August 8, 2025, coinciding exactly with the European Media Freedom Act taking full effect, with detailed implementation information planned for publication throughout September 2025.

Where: Prague, Czech Republic, affecting all Czech media entities and serving as a potential model for other European Union member states implementing EMFA requirements.

Why: To address more than a year of preparation for EMFA compliance, establish industry standards for self-regulation, maintain editorial independence while ensuring transparency and public accountability, and position Czech media organizations as partners for very large online platforms and public institutions under new European regulatory frameworks.