Transatlantic Coalition: European and Canadian News and Magazine Publishers Unite to Defend Free and Pluralistic Media

BRUSSELS & MONTREAL — On the eve of the 21st EU-Canada Summit, taking place in Montreal on October 29 and 30, thousands of news and magazine publishers from Europe and Canada are announcing the creation of a transatlantic coalition, calling on Canada and the European Union to include in the Summit’s joint declaration a firm commitment to framework conditions supporting free, independent, and sustainable media, as well as trusted professional journalism.

Bringing together the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association (ENPA), the Alliance de la presse d’information générale (APIG), the European Magazine Media Association (EMMA), the European Publishers Council (EPC), News Media Europe, News Media Canada, and Magazines Canada, which represent many other national and regional associations, the coalition insists that legislation must now evolve at the pace of technological change, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), and be reinforced through stronger safeguards that provide publishers with meaningful tools to authorize, monitor, and enforce the use of their content. This is key to upholding a free, pluralistic, and sustainable press at a time when major technology companies are exerting increasing pressure on the media ecosystem, ultimately threatening the long-term viability of independent journalism, a cornerstone of democracy, fundamental freedoms, and informed public debate.

In response to mounting challenges, both the European Union and Canada have introduced frameworks to protect the free press, including the neighbouring right for press publishers, as well as Canada’s

. The EU’s AI Act also constitutes a recognition of the need for lawfulness, accountability and transparency in the age of AI.

The rapid rise of new technologies, including AI-generated summaries embedded in search engines, presents a major challenge for media organizations on both sides of the Atlantic. In the absence of appropriate rules and transparency in the enforcement of rights, unidentified AI bots and agents are exploiting press content at scale without authorization or compensation. These AI-generated summaries divert readers away from press publications’ websites and appropriate value created by publishers, resulting in substantial losses in digital audiences and the subscription and advertising revenues that support them. These losses undermine a key pillar of publishers’ business models and weaken their capacity to produce reliable, diverse, and public-interest journalism. Stronger safeguards are needed to provide publishers with meaningful tools to authorize, monitor, and enforce the use of their content.

The coalition will work collectively to foster a transparent AI ecosystem that protects intellectual property, facilitates licensing, and ensures that publishers receive fair compensation while retaining full control over their content and the value it generates.

Transparency requirements should also extend to downstream data usage rights. Among the initiatives advanced by the industry, the content telemetry standard developed by the SPUR Coalition offers a practical foundation for interoperable accountability mechanisms. It provides publishers with the information needed to continue innovating, adapt their business models, and make informed licensing decisions.

“Our news publications and magazines share a common mission: to inform, enlighten, and contribute to public debate. That work has a cost, and it has value. When platforms appropriate our content without authorization or compensation, it is not only publishers that are weakened, but our democracies as well. The Montreal Summit is an opportunity for Europe and Canada to demonstrate that they are committed to defending, together, independent and sustainable media.” Joint statement by the coalition members.About the Coalition
The coalition brings together the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association ( ENPA), the Alliance de la presse d’information générale ( APIG), the European Magazine Media Association ( EMMA), the European Publishers Council ( EPC), News Media Europe, News Media Canada, and Magazines Canada, representing thousands of trusted news and magazine titles across both sides of the Atlantic.

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