Madrid, 3 October 2014 – Citizens are unable to establish who owns or controls the media operating in their country because of none or limited media specific or general disclosure provisions, accroding to one of the key findings of a report on The Transparency of Media Ownership in the European Union and Neighbouring States.
The report is based on a survey of media ownership transparency rules in 20 European Union (EU) and neighbouring states carried out by Access Info Europe and commissioned by the Open Society Media Program. The survey has been designed to inform current debates about the roles of states and regional and international organizations in supporting freedom of expression and media pluralism.
The report starts with a summary of key findings and recommendations. It then discusses the main international law standards and guidelines relevant to the field. The main body of the report analyses the survey data regarding the five areas identified below, noting particular examples of good or problematic practice. It concludes with an overview of the experts’ recommendations for further action or investigation.
To read the Report, click here 
To read the Ten Recommendations on Transparency of Media Ownership, click here
For more information, please contact:
Helen Darbishire | Access Info Europe
helen@access-info.org +34 667 685 319
Pam Bartlett Quintanilla | Access Info Europe
pam@access-info.org +34 913 656 558