In 1997, the EU asked its member states to draw up a list of events that should remain available on free-to-air TV because of their “major importance for society”.
Several countries made a list. Member states translated the importance-to-society criterion as being evetns that unite the nation, or are an expression of the country’s cultural or social identity.
The Netherlands – my own country – drew up the longest list. It consists of many sports events and some cultural events. Fo...
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Lisbeth founded EUobserver in 2000 and is responsible to the Board for effective strategic leadership, planning and performance. After graduating from the Danish School of Media and Journalism, she worked as a journalist, analyst, and editor for Danish media.