Commission Decision of 25 February 2014 amending Decision 2007/479/EC on the compatibility with Union law of the measures taken by Belgium pursuant to Article 3a(1) of Council Directive 89/552/EEC on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the pursuit of television broadcasting activities (2014/110/EU)

Commission Decision

of 25 February 2014

amending Decision 2007/479/EC on the compatibility with Union law of the measures taken by Belgium pursuant to Article 3a(1) of Council Directive 89/552/EEC on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the pursuit of television broadcasting activities

(2014/110/EU)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Directive 2010/13/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 March 2010 on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the provision of audiovisual media services (Audiovisual Media Services Directive)(1) and in particular Article 14(2) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) By Decision 2007/479/EC(2), the Commission decided that measures pursuant to Article 3a(1) of Council Directive 89/552/EEC(3) notified by Belgium to the Commission on 10 December 2003 are compatible with Community law. That decision was upheld by the Court of Justice(4).

(2) Article 3a of Directive 89/552/EEC has been replaced by Article 14 of Directive 2010/13/EU.

(3) By letter dated 19 November 2013 the Kingdom of Belgium notified the Commission with an Order of 17 January 2013 adopted by the Government of the French Community of Belgium, modifying the measures applying to the French Community of Belgium.

(4) The Commission has verified that the Order of 17 January 2013 adopted by the Government of the French Community of Belgium amounts only to terminological updates and very limited and formal modifications of the same measures originally notified to the Commission in 2003, in respect of which the Commission carried out its review and adopted the Decision mentioned in recital 1. This Order brings only formal and terminological updates to the measures. More specifically, it replaces the title of the measure; replaces, throughout the text, the term ‘television broadcasting’ by the term ‘linear television’ services; amends the definition of a ‘broadcaster’ exercising an exclusive right concerning an event of major importance (without by this terminological change covering other broadcasters than those covered in the originally notified measures); and restates the latter’s right to broadcast such events on a linear service that does not qualify as free television subject to their exploitation having been offered to providers of such services.

(5) The Commission informed the other Member States that the Government of the French Community of Belgium intended to adopt and finally adopted amending measures, as referred to in recital 3, at the 34th and 38th meetings of the Committee established pursuant to Article 29 of Directive 2010/13/EU,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

(1)

OJ L 95, 15.4.2010, p. 1.

(2)

Commission Decision 2007/479/EC of 25 June 2007 on the compatibility with Community law of measures taken by Belgium pursuant to Article 3a(1) of Council Directive 89/552/EEC on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the pursuit of television broadcasting activities (OJ L 180, 10.7.2007, p. 24).

(3)

Council Directive 89/552/EEC of 3 October 1989 on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by Law, Regulation or Administrative Action in Member States concerning the pursuit of television broadcasting activities (OJ L 298, 17.10.1989, p. 23).

(4)

Case C-204/11 P FIFA v Commission, judgment of 18 July 2013, not yet reported.