2nd Meeting of Arab Team Tasked with Negotiating with International Media Companies Begins in Riyadh

2nd Meeting of Arab Team Tasked with Negotiating with International Media Companies started today in the Saudi Capital Riyadh. Organized by the Arab League, the three-day meeting aims to formulate a unified and consistent negotiating vision with major international media companies regarding the financial dimension, in implementation of Resolution No. (533) issued by the (53) session of the Council of Arab Information Ministers held in the Moroccan capital, Rabat, in June 2023, which stipulated working to quickly activate a mechanism to impose and apply a digital tax on these companies with a minimum of 15 percent to benefit from the revenues they generate in the Arab region, and from sales and advertisements. Arab League's Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Media and Communication Sector, Ambassador Ahmed Rashid Khattabi stated in his speech during the meeting that this negotiating vision of the Arab team aims to protect Arab media content, and at its core is defending the justice of the Palestini an cause in its various dimensions, including its media dimension and protecting Palestinian digital rights in light of the unfair practices against journalists, bloggers and influencers, from restrictions, deletion, blocking and prevention, noting the exacerbation of these practices with the continuation of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, and the repeated incursions into the West Bank. He outlined the need to make a creative effort to implement this strategic direction, which embodies a strong and clear collective will to confidently engage in the knowledge and communication society, protect Arab digital interests, and combat the discourse of terrorism, hatred, and discrimination in order to preserve our spiritual, moral, cultural, and societal values. He appreciated the work of the Arab negotiating team with international media companies, and the seriousness and responsibility it showed in developing important recommendations during the first meeting held in the Jordanian capital, Amman, late Au gust 2023, which contributed to reaching an advanced stage in preparation for launching this negotiation process. Ambassador Khattabi pointed out that these recommendations remain the result of constructive observations and proposals of member states and their keenness to enrich the valuable ground provided by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Arab Broadcasting Union on how to deal with international media companies with a view to anticipating a fair, secure and balanced contractual framework, drawing on similar regional models, especially the European Union's experience with the issuance of the European Digital Services Act. He also expressed hope that the recommendations of this meeting would be a qualitative and supportive step for the joint Arab media work process, noting the importance of the discussions to advance efforts aimed at establishing an effective Arab negotiating position in dealing with international media companies. The Arab Team Tasked with Negotiating with International Media Comp anies comprises senior media experts from several Arab countries, from the media and communications sector (the Technical Secretariat of the Council of Arab Information Ministers), and the Arab States Broadcasting Union. Source: Qatar News Agency