Published on Thursday26thMay2016

EU Ministers agree on cross border access to digital content

2016 05 26 MMOC Phil Hogan

Minister Mitchell O’Connor with Ireland’s EU Commissioner, Phil Hogan

Jobs Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor attended a joint meeting of EU Competitiveness Ministers and Telecoms Ministers in Brussels today. The focus of this important Council of Ministers was on progressing the European Commission’s Digital Single Market Strategy, the flagship blueprint which aims to strengthen Europe’s capacity to thrive in the digital age, for the benefit of consumers and businesses, and to create jobs and growth.

Minister Mitchell O’Connor and her fellow EU Ministers approved a proposal that will allow EU consumers to access their online subscriptions, such as Netflix and Sky TV, while travelling in the EU on a temporary basis.  

The Minister said:

This consumer friendly measure is important for EU citizens as it will allow them to enjoy movies, premium sports, and other content services to which they have legally subscribed, while away from home, on holidays for example. 

Under the new Portability Regulation consumers will be able to log in to their own personal accounts while travelling in the EU and continue to view their favourite movies and television shows as if they were at home. It is hoped that consumers will begin to benefit from this proposal in 2017.

While in Brussels, Minister Mitchell O’Connor also held bilateral meetings with Ireland’s EU Commissioner, Phil Hogan, and with her fellow UK Minister for Competitiveness, Baroness Lucy Neville-Rolfe, to discuss priority EU issues for Ireland across the Minister’s portfolio.