PM and Communications Minister Xavier Bettel at this year's traditional press reception; Credit: Jazmin Campbell

Luxembourg's Cabinet approved yesterday a bill aimed at reforming financial assistance for professional journalism.

The new press aid law aims to optimise the current aid scheme for the written press, modernise it by setting up a unique and technologically neutral framework for online and offline media and widen the scope of the new mechanism.

Previously, the amount of state aid granted to publishers depended on the number of pages printed; this new law would replace this clause.

Luxembourg's Prime Minister and Minister for Communications and Media, Xavier Bettel, noted: “It is an investment in journalism through the promotion of journalists, which corresponds to a real paradigm shift. Today, more than ever, the work of journalists is of crucial importance to combat the phenomena of misinformation and disinformation and to fuel critical debate. However, the media are currently faced with economic, social and technological challenges. Supporting a varied, pluralistic and independent media landscape in the long term is imperative for any democratic state, hence our commitments to both publishers and the public service".

The scheme also provides new aid for start-ups which are not yet eligible to benefit from the main scheme and includes aid for "citizen media", thus recognising their role as media and socio-cultural actors complementary to other media.

In addition, the eligibility criteria are extended beyond the country's three official languages and monthly and free publications will also be eligible for aid. The government added that the project also aims to encourage transparency, training, media education and accessibility for people with disabilities.

The new aid has two parts: aid for editorial activity and aid for innovation. The former consists of an annual amount of €30,000 per full-time professional journalist (or equivalent) linked to the editor by an open-ended contract and assigned to the production of editorial content of the press publication. The latter consists of a lump sum of €200,000.

A five-year transitional regime will be put in place to enable publishers to adapt to the new legal framework.