Ukraine insists on the need to urgently find solutions to involve non-EU countries in the EU’s digital regulatory mechanisms. In times of growing threats to the information space, this issue should become one of the priorities for the entire European community. This was stated by the Chair of the National Council, Olha Herasymiuk, at the 27th meeting of the Council of Europe Steering Committee on Media and Information Society (CDMSI), which took place these days in Strasbourg (France).
In her speech, the head of the media regulator expressed gratitude to the Council of Europe for its continued support in implementing media reform in Ukraine, especially in the context of a full-scale war. Thanks to this cooperation, the project “Safeguarding Freedom of Expression and Freedom of media in Ukraine – Phase II” (SFEM-UA) is being implemented, which is part of the Council of Europe’s Action Plan for Ukraine for 2023-2026.
The project promotes the implementation of European standards in the media sector, the harmonization of legislation, and the integration of Ukraine into the common European information space. At the same time, according to Olha Herasymiuk, a serious problem has been identified that is faced by Council of Europe countries that are not members of the European Union. This concerns limited access to mechanisms for interaction with very large online platforms (VLOPs) provided for by the EU Digital Services Act (DSA).
“The DSA Regulation provides EU member states with tools for effective interaction with VLOPs… But countries that are not yet members of the European Union do not have such opportunities in the information space. Our appeals to platforms often go unanswered. This is unacceptable, especially during wars, when information security is a matter of national survival,” the head of the National Council said.
Speaking at the meeting, Olha Herasymiuk proposed the creation of a mechanism that would give non-EU countries an equal voice in influencing digital platforms, alongside their EU partners. Such an initiative will increase the effectiveness of the fight against disinformation.
“The idea is to raise the matter, perhaps through our Committee, to identify critical challenges in regulating or combating hate speech, discrimination, and disinformation faced by colleagues from non-EU countries, and to bring these concerns to the EU level – along with all the consequences for VLOPs that may arise if they fail to comply with the DSA criteria. In conditions of war and global instability, having a vulnerable and unprotected information space is dangerous,” emphasized Olha Herasymiuk.
It was previously reported that modern regulation of social media activities is only beginning to take shape within the European Union through the adoption of the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA). At the same time, candidate countries for EU accession, in particular Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova, currently do not have access to the full range of instruments and mechanisms provided for by these regulations. Global platforms do not adapt their policies to the specifics of individual countries. They do not take into account the context of martial law, such as in Ukraine, and continue to apply rules designed for peaceful conditions.
As a reminder, the National Council, as a regulatory body, will represent Ukraine in the European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO). This was also discussed during the CDMSI meeting in Strasbourg.
