The Regulation of Media Markets in selected EU Accession States in Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract

Abstract: This article examines the phenomenon of policy transfer in the EU accession countries of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia. When formulating media laws in the early 1990s, these countries were presented with models put forth by advisors from the US and EU Member States. Advisors proposed models based upon their own domestic policy and/or organisation agendas. A resulting ‘battle of the models’ can be observed with different experts and actors lobbying for the adoption of contrasting regulatory models. Underlying this were often political, economic and trade interests. In particular, ‘Western’ governments were interested in guaranteeing the opening of new markets, and the stability of these new media markets for Western capital investment, as well as wider political concerns of consolidating democracy in Europe. Interest groups and NGOs wished to transfer their ideas to Eastern Europe often in advocacy of their own agendas in an enlarged Europe.