Priority question for written answer  P-002674/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Christine Anderson (ESN)

A recent Euractiv article (‘Money for nothing’, 30 June 2025[1]) reports that the Commission allocates approximately EUR 35 million annually to media outlets – far more than officially acknowledged. While presented as support for ‘media pluralism’, this funding raises concerns about distortion, particularly when substantial and recurring subsidies are injected into a limited pool of outlets within the EU-focused ‘Brussels media bubble’, which is structurally distinct from broader, national media markets. Unlike broader, national media markets, it can be easily skewed by large, recurring public subsidies – especially when the media outlets report on the very institutions that fund them, endangering independence and competition.

Submitted: 1.7.2025

Last updated: 4 July 2025