Madam, - Communications Minister Dermot Ahern is quoted (The Irish Times, March 14th) as saying that if BSkyB resists the Government's efforts to regulate the broadcaster from July, he may use Ireland's presidency of the Council of Ministers next year to try to "persuade" his European partners to amend the TV without Frontiers directive.
This provides that satellite broadcasters are regulated in the country in which they are based rather than the country to which they broadcast.
For the record, the Commission launched a year-long public review of the TV without Frontiers Directive on January 6th last and has indicated that, based on the outcome of this review, it may submit proposals to revise the directive to the European Parliament and the Council by the end of this year.
The first major element of this review is a conference that the Commission is organising in Brussels on April 2nd-4th dealing with the "protection of general interests in television advertising, sponsorship, teleshopping and self-promotion, and events of major importance to society".
Given the mess that the Government made of the FAI-BskyB deal by failing to act before the deal was signed as it was legally entitled to do, issues relating to satellite broadcasting should be raised at this conference in the first place, rather than waiting until Ireland's council presidency next year.
Written contributions, requests to participate in the public hearings and requests for additional information can be sent to: Mr J.-E. de Cockborne, Head of Unit C1, Audiovisual Policy, B100/7 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium. E-mail: eac-avpolicy-consult_at_cec.eu.int. Fax: (32 2) 2998241. - Yours, etc.,
PROINSIAS DE ROSSA MEP,
European Parliament Offices,
Dublin 2.