Vol. 490 No. 6
10 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands the measures, if any, she proposes to take to implement the commitment to public service broadcasting in the Protocol to the Amsterdam Treaty should it be endorsed by the Irish people; and her views on this matter in the context of digitalisation. [10754/98]
As I have indicated previously, I welcome the provisions of the draft treaty. I particularly welcome the protocol designed to protect and enhance public service broadcasting and in particular to secure the funding arrangements for such services in the Union.
If the draft treaty is ratified by all the member states, as I sincerely hope it will, the protocol will not require to be implemented nationally by any specific measure. The activities of the European Union will be circumscribed by the treaty and the protocols attached thereto. In Ireland, successive Governments have recognised the important role to be played by public service broadcasters and support for this role remains a central element of my policies in my development of legislative proposals for broadcasting in the digital age. In this regard, the protocol is a vital recognition of the important role played by public service broadcasting in the European context and in recognising the initiative of individual member states to determine the remit and organisation of public service broadcasting in each member state. It will inform the European Commission as to its development of proposals relating to the European audiovisual sector generally and public service broadcasting sector in particular.
