EP WANTS SUBTITLING ON PUBLIC TV.

Tech Europe, May, 2008

The European Parliament demanded, on 10 April, systematic subtitling for all programmes broadcast by public television stations in the EU, for all viewers, including the deaf and hard-of-hearing. This will also facilitate the learning of foreign languages. In a non-binding written declaration, whose adoption was announced in the plenary in Brussels, MEPs invited the European Commission "to present a legislative proposal binding public television stations within the EU to subtitle all their programmes".

Lodged on the initiative of Polish Socialist Lidia Joanna Geringer de Oedenberg, the declaration has been signed by more than half of the 785 MEPs. It will be sent to the Commission and the Council, as well as all the governments of member states.