The NME promotes the interests of the news media industry to the European Union institutions. A modern, inclusive and proactive force in the EU lobby sector, NME represents the interests of publishers of newspapers and news media on all platforms, says the new organisation.
At the launch event founding president of NME, Fernando de Yarza Lopez, chief executive of Grupo Heraldo in Spain, said: “We look to a bright future for our industry.
“4 out of 5 people in the EU access news media every week making us global leaders in this industry. We are at the heart of the creative economy of Europe.
“Our aims are simple. To uphold and enhance the freedom to publish. And to champion the news brands - in print and on line - that are powering the creative industries of the EU.
“In that task we want to work in close partnership with all those organisations which believe in the key principles which are vital to us all. Protecting the freedom of the press, championing the digital future of our industry, and ensuring that the value of content is properly protected.”
NME vice president and executive director of the Telegraph Media Group, Lord Black of Brentwood said: “Freedom of expression is the foundation on which European democracy, and European civilization, is built. It is the guardian of every other individual liberty we as European citizens take for granted – of thought, conscience and prayer, of the judiciary and the right to a fair trial, of free assembly.
“Where the press falters, either because of a direct attack on free speech or more likely in such a competitive world because it has failed commercially, then the quality of our democracy suffers. That is why News Media Europe is so passionate about this, and why our central mission- central to everything we will do - is to be vigilant in safeguarding it.”
The NME launch followed a meeting of the NME Copyright task force with Günther H. Oettinger, European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, which discussed the challenges and opportunities faced by the news media sector in the digital single market, with a particular focus on copyright.
Attendees of the meeting included NME president Fernando de Yarza Lopez-Madraso, executive vice president of Schibsted Media Group and chief executive of Schibsted Sweden and Vice – president of NME Raoul Grünthal and group commercial legal director of Guardian Media Group and chair of News Media Europe’s Copyright Task Force, Sarah Davis.
The establishment of News Media Europe followed the decision of 11 countries to withdraw from the European Newspaper Publishers Association. These include Belgium (Flanders), Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Republic of Ireland, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom.
