Missions
ALIA (the Autorité luxembourgeoise indépendante de l’audiovisuel, or Luxembourg Independent Authority for Audiovisual Media) is responsible for monitoring the application of regulatory requirements related to audiovisual services and media. Its supervisory activities cover traditional television, on-demand services (VOD), video-sharing platforms (VSPs) and national, regional and local radio stations.
In the exercise of its duties, ALIA has the power to impose sanctions. Any individual or organisation that has been offended by the content of a particular service may make a complaint to ALIA if that content undermines the protection of minors or human dignity (with regard to race, opinion, religion or nationality), or if it contains pornographic material.
The Authority also monitors compliance by suppliers with advertising regulations. This applies both to advertising content and to the length of advertisements.
The Luxembourg Minister in charge of media consults the Authority during the process of granting licences and permits for national and international media services. ALIA decides directly on the granting and withdrawal of permits for regional radio services (transmission networks) and local radio services.
Luxembourg legislation also confers a number of incentive tasks on ALIA: the Authority’s role involves encouraging providers of audiovisual media services to take action in a number of areas, such as ensuring access to broadcast media for people with visual and hearing impairments, drawing up codes of ethics to promote healthy eating in children’s programmes, and encouraging providers of on-demand audiovisual services to promote European works.
Since the transposition of the revised AVMS Directive into national law, ALIA has also been entrusted with the task of monitoring video-sharing platforms. VSPs are required to put in place measures to protect young people from harmful content and all users from criminal content and incitement to hatred and violence. The measures required by the Directive include, among others, the establishment and enforcement of tracking and reporting mechanisms, parental controls, age control mechanisms and complaint functions.
The Law of 14 December 2015 on Political Opinion Surveys also gives ALIA the task of preserving and making available to the public any relevant information that serves as a basis for performing surveys. Market research organisations must therefore give ALIA access to all documents used as a basis for the publication of surveys.
Finally, ALIA supervises the classification system for films screened in cinemas. In the event of non-compliance with the principles governing the protection of minors, the Authority may reclassify films if necessary.
