Frankfurt Days on Media Law: Public service broadcasting in court

On the first day of the conference, the much-lamented deficits of public service broadcasting will be at the centre of several panel discussions – from the narrowed journalistic spectrum to due diligence using the example of antisemitism. The starting points for the discussions are the recommendations of the Broadcasting Commission's Future Council as well as the decision of the Federal Administrative Court of 15 October 2025 on the legality of the broadcasting contribution.

On the second day of the conference, attention will turn to best-practice examples from Southeast Europe and on regulatory perspectives that can contribute to a return to the constitutional mandate of public service broadcasting.

The event is open to the public. Interested parties and media representatives are cordially invited to attend the conference or selected panels.
Registration is required by Monday evening, 12 January (PDF).

Programme
The Media Law Days will open on 14 January at 10.00 am in the Senate Hall of the Main Building of the European University Viadrina (Große Scharrnstraße 59) with welcoming addresses by the President of the Viadrina, Prof. Dr. Eduard Mühle, and Prof. Dr. Johannes Weberling, media law expert and honorary professor at the Viadrina. Prof. Dr Peter M. Huber, former judge at the Federal Constitutional Court, and Claus Liesegang, editor-in-chief of the Märkische Oderzeitung, will introduce the topic.
For the detailed programme (PDF)

Participants
The contributors to the conference include renowned voices from academia, politics and journalism: Prof. Dr Stephan Russ-Mohl, media scientist and long-time observer of European journalism, Prof. Dr Christian von Coelln, constitutional law expert at the University of Cologne, Prof. Dr Mark Eisenegger, Director of the Research Centre for the Public Sphere and Society at the University of Zurich, and Prof. Dr Marcus Maurer, communication scientist at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. With Marína Urbániková from Masaryk University Brno and Hyrie Mehmeti, Southeast European University Pristina/Tetovo/Skopje, perspectives from Southeast Europe will also be included. The political dimension will be complemented by Prof Dr Johanna Wanka, former Federal Minister of Education and Research. Peter Rothenbühler, long-standing editor-in-chief of SonntagsBlick and Le Matin, will contribute journalistic expertise.

The Frankfurt Days on Media Law are organised by the Study and Research Focus Media Law of the Faculty of Law at the European University Viadrina in cooperation with the Southeast Europe Society and with the kind support of the Southeast Europe Media Programme of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Märkische Oderzeitung newspaper.

We are happy to put journalists in touch with the conference participants.
Your contact: presse@europa-uni.de