NICAM/Kijkwijzer is an example of good co-regulation practice

Dutch organisation NICAM, creator of Kijkwijzer, is an example of good co-regulation practice in relation to the protection of minors against harmful media content. This was one of the conclusions of a Media Experts Conference, organised by the German government and the European Commission. The conference took place in Leipzig on 10 and 11 May. 
 
Alongside NICAM, German minister with responsibility for culture and media, Bernd Neumann, in his summing up also referred to the Dutch projects Mijn Kind Online[Child Online] and Digitale Pioniers [Digital Pioneers] as good examples for Europe. 
 
More than 250 media experts from European countries took part in the conference. They endorsed the recent amendments to the European Commission’s ‘Television without Frontiers’ directive, in which the Member States are explicitly called upon to apply co- and self-regulation of the media in order to protect minors and consumers. According to the conference participants, these forms of regulation are of increasing importance to the media sector within Europe. The updated directive will be called the ‘Audiovisual Media Services Directive’.
 
In his summing up, Minister Bernd Neumann stated that “the cooperation between the government and the media sector must be based on a fundamental confidence in the competence of the content providers, in combination with effective forms of co- and self-regulation. The aim must be to stimulate the creativity of users, while at the same time ensuring that the standards agreed upon are observed”. 
 
See also the conference reports at //www.leipzig-eu2007.de/