The European Parliament , meeting in Brussels today for its plenary session adopted a report by Karin Resetarits (Die Liberalen, Austria) which calls on the European Union to encourage alternative media in Europe in order to promote pluralism and cultural diversity.  Stemming from the old family of "free radio" and other pirate broadcasting, alternative media today is often a community media, addressing a certain category of the population for example the Muslim population, senior citizens or young people.  They can be distinguished from commercial media by the fact that they are not profit-making but purely social, linked with their community by the service they provide.  Mrs Resetarits would like to see this recognised by the European Commission and the Member States.  

"Alternative media does not result in isolating people, on the contrary they allow a community to integrate, informing them of their rights, especially in the area of education and access to public services but also promotes citizens to  take part in active life and listens to their problems and concerns.  This type of media is a community tool and serves as a cultural and social integration project", says Karin  Resetarits.

The support measures recommended by Mrs Resetarits are mostly of a technical nature, legal (attribution of frequencies) and financial (possible financing by the EU).   "I hope that when the European Commission publishes in 2009 their Communication on the indicators of pluralism in the media, it will take into account our proposals on alternative and community media which obviously  contributes and promotes  pluralism", concluded Mrs Resetarits.