European Commission Clarifies Ban on Russian Media

The European Commission has published clarifications regarding restrictions on the operations of certain media outlets, including the ban on broadcasting by a number of Russian state media. In its clarifications, the European Commission indicated that journalists would be able to convey excerpts from materials of the restricted media organizations and use those materials "objectively" to keep the public fully informed about events. It emphasized that the use of such materials "must not lead to circumvention of the sanctions, which is considered prohibited." The European Commission urged citizens of European countries to report potential violations against media to national authorities or relevant EU bodies. Last Friday, the European Union announced a ban on the broadcasting of several media outlets, including the "Novosti" agency and the Russian newspapers "Izvestia" and "Russkaya Gazeta," as well as "Voice of Europe" radio.