REM participated in the 63rd EPRA meeting in Tirana

Representatives of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media participated in the 63rd meeting of the European Platform of Regulatory Authorities (EPRA), which was held in Tirana from 20 to 22 May 2026, organised by the Albanian regulatory authority for audiovisual media services.

The meeting brought together representatives of regulatory authorities from European countries, namely over 130 participants from regulatory authorities, as well as representatives of relevant international organisations and institutions in the field of media regulation, with the aim of exchanging experiences and good practices on current challenges in the regulatory environment.

During the two-day programme, participants discussed greater accessibility of programme content to persons with disabilities, as well as the classification of new media services in a rapidly changing media market.

The conclusions of the first session are that traditional media, and especially public services, are adapting content for persons with disabilities, but that this is still far from sufficient in a quantitative sense, as well as that all forms of content adaptation (e.g. sign language or audio description) are not always available. On the other hand, video content-sharing platforms, social networks, and online portals are increasing content, but the available tools for content adaptation are very poorly represented.

Representatives of the European Disability Forum, who spoke on this occasion, believe that the approach so far has not yielded effective results, so much more concrete regulations, standards, and obligations with specific goals are needed in terms of content adaptation, and only then can the quality of the adapted content be discussed.

The need to achieve greater cooperation of regulators, institutions, and industry with associations of persons with disabilities was highlighted, which would ensure the development of standards, their application and supervision, as well as a comprehensive understanding of the needs of persons with disabilities.

Another topic that is very significant for regulators in Europe is the future of media service regulation in a modern digital environment, as well as the impact of technological changes on regulatory frameworks and the media sector as a whole. Above all, these technological changes and the emergence of services such as: FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television), podcasts, vloggers, online services, which participate with almost half of the media market in Europe, introduce a discussion on the need to redesign the classification, definition, and reset the level of obligations towards these media services.

The participants also shared their experiences in regulating these contents, which are quite varied, but they are unified in the position that they must adhere to basic principles such as the protection of human rights and the protection of minors, as well as basic principles in advertising.

By participating in EPRA meetings, REM continues to contribute actively to international cooperation of regulatory authorities and the exchange of knowledge in the field of electronic media, with the aim of strengthening professional standards, transparency, and efficient regulatory action in accordance with European practices.

EPRA represents one of the most significant European networks of regulatory authorities in the field of electronic media and provides a platform for dialogue, cooperation, and exchange of experiences among regulators across Europe.