Three-phased implementation of the EU Media Wallet

We propose a three-phased implementation of the multilingual pan-EU Media Wallet.

After designing the platform, which involves a website and a mobile application, we propose to pilot our platform in several diverse regions and, if successful, scale it up across the EU.

First phase: Platform design for the EU Media Wallet

A priority in the platform design is to give users fast and convenient access to a broad spectrum of quality news, thereby strengthening the position of news outlets of all sizes, from regional to national.

Each eligible news outlet could create a publisher profile on the platform. News articles, videos, and podcasts published on their own web domain/app would be mirrored on the platform via APIs – similar to how news organisations currently distribute content on social media. The participating media organisations would be encouraged to publish content that is in line with the aims of the The European Accessibility Act, e.g., combining both written and audio content, so individuals with disabilities could access the publications on the platform.

• Participating news outlets would decide which content to share through the Media Wallet. All content must comply with the Press and Media Councils’ ethical codes. As these organisations already meet strict eligibility criteria, no additional restrictions on the type of content would be imposed.

• Individual users would not be able to publish content themselves, only the participating news outlets. 

• The platform will not feature an interactive interface to avoid intermediary liability. This means users will not be able to react or comment on the platform.

Core design principles

Citizens can access the Media Wallet by creating an account on the platform or, if integrated, by logging in through their EU Digital ID. News Pass eligibility is verified through a secure and privacy-preserving age verification system.

Core design principles

The platform will be designed in line with fairness, transparency and privacy preservation and provide visibility of all participating outlets to promote diversity of perspectives.

User experience can be personalised through optional filters:

➢   Selecting geographic areas;

➢   Selecting language preferences;

➢   Selecting themes of interest.

Second phase: Setting up the pilot programme

We recommend piloting the platform in several countries to test feasibility and collect data for scaling the EU MW to a truly pan-EU, multilingual initiative. These countries should reflect a broad spectrum of cultural, political, and demographic contexts, providing a robust foundation to test the platform’s adaptability and relevance.

We recommend selecting pilot areas based on the following criteria:

• Prioritising areas with low news engagement among young adults;

• Cultural, political and regional variety;

• Linguistic diversity;

• Areas with different levels of media pluralism.

Third phase: EU-wide roll-out

Once the pilot is successful, the Media Wallet can be scaled into a fully operational, multilingual platform accessible across the EU and invest more resources in outreach campaigns.

This can happen gradually, integrating insights on how to optimise the user experience.