The Media Literacy Expert Group

The Commission has been requested to launch an initiative on Media Literacy by the European Parliament (during the hearings of Commissioner Reding before taking up her new mandate, as well as in the Weber Report on the transition to digital TV) and the industry together with a number of Member States.

The group aims to analyse and define media literacy objectives and trends, to highlight and promote good practices at European level and propose actions in the field.

This group has been therefore set-up with the aim to analyse and define media literacy objectives and trends, to highlight and promote good practices at European level and propose actions in the field. In particular, certain issues should be highlighted such as the importance of promoting the protection of children, young people and human dignity in the media and support the creation of a media environment appropriate for citizens’ social, educational and cultural needs. Also, working on the development of reliable means of evaluation is fundamental.

The group is composed of a number European media literacy experts including a mix of different competences and backgrounds and will meet three times a year. The group will reflect both the leading role industry itself plays in media literacy as well as academic research and findings. The first meeting was held on 30 March 2006.

The Commission intends to use the findings of the Media literacy experts group to launch a public consultation on the different issues referred to above. The next step could be for the Commission to adopt a Communication on this subject and further media literacy policy at a European level.