Antoci and Pedullà, representing The Left, are pushing the European Commission to enhance its crackdown on digital piracy that threatens the publishing industry’s economic health and media pluralism across Europe. Their call targets media firms, regulators, law enforcement, and online platforms struggling with illegal distribution of newspapers and magazines — particularly on social media and messaging services. The impact on publishers and the surrounding ecosystem is significant enough to spur governmental scrutiny and potential regulatory shifts.
This message comes as an answer to a parliamentary question they submitted, which pointed to extensive piracy incidents reported across multiple EU countries, including Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and France. They sought clarity on what the Commission intends to do about quicker removals of pirated content, better cross-border law enforcement collaboration, and transparency through EU-level data publication.
The Commission, via Executive Vice-President Virkkunen, provides an update outlining ongoing efforts like the 2023 Recommendation targeting piracy in live sports broadcasts, an upcoming assessment that could broaden scope, and application of the Digital Services Act (DSA) that imposes removal and transparency duties on online platforms. Although no new binding measures or numerical ambitions are declared, the approach leans on existing frameworks and institutions such as the EU Intellectual Property Office for data collection.
The policy orientation reveals a preference for incremental strengthening of EU regulatory oversight and enforcement cooperation against digital piracy, emphasizing platform accountability and better sharing of intelligence across borders. This suggests a tilt toward reinforcing EU powers in intellectual property enforcement without initiating fresh legislation yet.
Stakeholders deeply affected by this stance include digital publishing companies (which gain more enforcement support but face ongoing unauthorized distribution risks), online platform operators (who bear increased responsibilities under DSA enforcement), national authorities and EU agencies like Europol and Eurojust (expected to enhance cross-border action), and European consumers reliant on trustworthy quality media (potentially benefiting from reduced piracy but subject to platform content controls).
The Commission’s reply signals an institutional follow-up where it must finalize the pirate content assessment soon. This will likely shape whether and how the EU escalates measures on illegal publishing content, making this answer a critical signpost on digital copyright enforcement strategy within the EU.
← Atlas › News › Digital & Communication