Irish Government Approves Media Regulation Bill Transmitting European Media Freedom Act Provisions (gov.ie)

• Government approves Media Regulation Bill to implement EMFA
• Media merger assessments transferred to Coimisiún na Meán, including online platforms
• Mandatory annual reporting on state advertising expenditure
• Coimisiún na Meán to create media ownership database and boost audience measurement transparency

"The Irish Government has approved the publication of the Media Regulation Bill, which implements the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) into Irish law. The bill transfers media merger assessments from the Minister to the independent regulator Coimisiún na Meán, expands scope to online platforms, and introduces transparency requirements for state advertising expenditure. Public bodies must report annually on advertising spend, and Coimisiún na Meán will compile an annual report. It also tasks Coimisiún na Meán with developing a media ownership database and promoting transparency in audience measurement."