This EMFA Talk is the third event in a series dedicated to Article 22 of the European Media Freedom Act and the so-called ‘Media Plurality Test’. The first EMFA Talk, held in February 2025, unpacked the structure, criteria and rationale of Article 22, bringing together legal and economic experts to clarify its substantive and procedural requirements and to highlight divergences in national approaches. The second event, organised in October 2025 shortly after the entry into application of the EMFA, examined the first practical and institutional tests of the Media Plurality Test, discussing early merger cases and the role of the Commission and the European Board for Media Services in shaping guidance and implementation (here you can find the recorded event). 

Building on these discussions, this third webinar shifts the focus from normative design and early practice to the concrete dynamics of national implementation, analysing legislative reforms, institutional adaptations and ongoing market developments in Slovenia, Germany and Italy, offering a comparative perspective on different national pathways towards the implementation of Article 22.

In Slovenia, a new national law has been enacted to implement Article 22 EMFA; in Germany, a reform of the national anti-concentration framework is currently under discussion; in Italy, no new legislation is presently under consideration, as the current one is considered by many as in line with article 22 EMFA in several respects.

Against this background, the discussion will examine how national legal frameworks can be assessed in light of the standards and criteria set out in Article 22, how the Media Plurality Test should be operationalised in the context of ongoing mergers and acquisitions, and how competences are distributed between national regulatory authorities and the European Board for Media Services in ensuring coherent and effective enforcement.

This EMFA discussion will feature Giorgio Greppi, Director of the media services and fundamental rights directorate of the Italian media authority (AGCOM), presenting how the authority is working to better align its actions with the EMFA rationale; Marko Milosavljević, Professor at the University of Ljubljana; and Jan Christopher Kalbhenn, Professor at the University of Münster and Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences. Professors Milosavljević and Kalbhenn also lead their respective country teams for the Media Pluralism Monitor (MPM) project of the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF). In addition, Renate Schroeder, Director of EFJ, will offer remarks on the speakers’ presentations. Roberta Carlini, Assistant Part-Time Professor at the EUI, will moderate the conversation.

The EMFA Talks are a series of webinars, seminars and discussion-events convened by the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom as part of its Observatory on the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) initiative. Their purpose is to engage academics, policy-makers, media practitioners and other stakeholders in conversation about the implementation, interpretation and impact of the EMFA.