The Council of Europe Steering Committee on Media and Information Society (CDMSI) held its 28th plenary meeting in Strasbourg on 3–5 December under the chairmanship of Maja Zarić (Serbia).

The CDMSI approved the draft Recommendation on online safety and empowerment of content creators and users, elaborated by the Committee of Experts on online safety and empowerment of content creators and users (MSI-eSEC), and agreed to transmit it to the Committee of Ministers for possible adoption. The CDMSI also adopted the Guidance Note on the Implications of Generative AI for Freedom of Expression, prepared by the Committee of Experts on the implications of generative artificial intelligence for freedom of expression (MSI-AI) and two policy papers on Resisting Disinformation: 10 Building Blocks to Strengthen Information Integrity; National Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Strategies – Practical Steps and Indicators; as well as the Feasibility Study on Benefits and Challenges to Freedom of Expression in Immersive Realities.

In the framework of the Council of Europe Campaign for the Safety of Journalists, the Committee discussed and endorsed the Campaign’s mid-term evaluation report. It also took note of recent developments and ongoing preparations for key upcoming activities under the Campaign.

The Committee elected Aikaterini Polyzou (Greece) as its new Chair, and Maja Zarić (Serbia), as Vice-Chair. The CDMSI further elected five Bureau members: Andrin Eichin (Switzerland), Céline Flammang (Luxembourg), Marius Jitea (Romania), Serge Robillard (Monaco) and Inge Welbergen (the Netherlands). It also designated national representatives to two forthcoming expert committees, focusing respectively on media pluralism in the online environment (MSI-ePLU) and on media regulators in a platform-based ecosystem (MSI-eREG).

Members reviewed how the CDMSI can support the New Democratic Pact for Europe’s goals on freedom of expression and media freedom, agreeing to establish a reflection group on the notion of journalists and to explore a media and literacy campaign.