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Media mergers in Belgium, France expose gaps in EU plurality rules

By Anna Ferrari ( April 17, 2026, 15:27 GMT | Comment) -- A Belgian newspaper merger and LVMH’s takeover of a magazine in France are exposing enforcement gaps under the EU's new media law, as national authorities struggle to apply its plurality test. The situation is triggering a more proactive oversight by an EU media advisory board, and raising questions over whether competition authorities should assess media pluralism, with approaches apparently diverging across the EU. The merger of Belgium’s Le Soir with La Libre Belgique, and LVMH’s takeover of Challenges magazine in France, are exposing how key EU safeguards on editorial independence and pluralism remain patchy and unimplemented, despite a new media law being in force since last year....

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