Alliance of Independent Press Councils of Europe (AIPCE) - Preparation prior to complaint-handling body

Before the meeting at which a decision about a complaint is taken, does anyone check whether or not the formal requirements are met?

	Yes	No
%	93	7
#	26	2
Countries	Austria Belgium - Dutch Belgium - French & German Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Canada - Québec Croatia Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Hungary Iceland Ireland Kosovo Luxembourg Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Slovakia Slovenia Sweden Switzerland UK Impress	Albania Cyprus

Before the meeting at which a decision about a complaint is taken, does anyone check that the complaint is within the media council's scope?

	Yes	No
%	93	7
#	26	2
Countries	Austria Belgium - Dutch Belgium - French & German Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Canada - Québec Croatia Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Hungary Iceland Ireland Kosovo Luxembourg Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Slovakia Slovenia Sweden Switzerland UK Impress	Albania Cyprus

Before the meeting at which a decision about a complaint is taken, is it possible to dismiss the case when it is clearly baseless?

	Yes	No	Unanswered
%	57	39	4
#	16	11	1
Countries	Austria Belgium - Dutch Belgium - French & German Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Ireland Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Slovakia Sweden Switzerland	Albania Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Canada - Québec Croatia Cyprus Iceland Kosovo North Macedonia Slovenia UK Impress	Hungary

If a case is dismissed on formal grounds, or because there clearly was no ethical wrongdoing, is it possible for the complainant to appeal to that decision?

	Yes	No	Unanswered
%	25	68	7
#	7	19	2
Countries	Austria Belgium - French & German Finland Germany Hungary Netherlands Sweden	Albania Belgium - Dutch Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Canada - Québec Croatia Cyprus Denmark Estonia Iceland Ireland Kosovo Luxembourg North Macedonia Norway Slovakia Slovenia Switzerland UK Impress	France Georgia

Before the meeting at which a decision about a complaint is taken, does anyone write a summary of the case?

	Yes	No	Unanswered
%	64	32	4
#	18	9	1
Countries	Austria Belgium - Dutch Belgium - French & German Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Canada - Québec Denmark Finland France Georgia Germany Iceland Luxembourg Norway Slovakia Slovenia Sweden UK Impress	Albania Croatia Cyprus Estonia Ireland Kosovo Netherlands North Macedonia Switzerland	Hungary

Before the meeting at which a decision about a complaint is taken, does anyone summarize decisions that the council made in similar cases in the past?

	Yes	No	Unanswered
%	54	39	7
#	15	11	2
Countries	Belgium - Dutch Belgium - French & German Bosnia and Herzegovina Canada - Québec Denmark Estonia Finland Georgia Germany Kosovo Luxembourg Netherlands North Macedonia Switzerland UK Impress	Albania Austria Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Iceland Ireland Norway Slovakia Slovenia Sweden	France Hungary

Before the case heads to the full complaint-handling body to take a decision, does someone advice whether the case should be upheld or not?

	Yes	No	Unanswered
%	43	50	7
#	12	14	2
Countries	Austria Belgium - Dutch Belgium - French & German Bulgaria Denmark Finland France Kosovo Norway Slovakia Sweden UK Impress	Albania Bosnia and Herzegovina Canada - Québec Croatia Cyprus Estonia Germany Iceland Ireland Luxembourg Netherlands North Macedonia Slovenia Switzerland	Georgia Hungary

Before the case heads to the full complaint-handling body to take a decision, does anyone write a draft decision (that can be amended based on the discussion of the decision-making body)?

	Yes	No	Unanswered
%	39	54	7
#	11	15	2
Countries	Belgium - Dutch Belgium - French & German Bulgaria Denmark Finland Norway Slovakia Slovenia Sweden Switzerland UK Impress	Albania Austria Bosnia and Herzegovina Canada - Québec Croatia Cyprus Estonia Georgia Germany Iceland Ireland Kosovo Luxembourg Netherlands North Macedonia	France Hungary

Are there any other preparations done before the complaint is treated by the decision-making body?

	Yes	No	Unanswered
%	29	64	7
#	8	18	2
Countries	Austria Bulgaria Canada - Québec Estonia Finland Germany North Macedonia UK Impress	Albania Belgium - Dutch Belgium - French & German Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatia Cyprus Denmark Georgia Iceland Ireland Kosovo Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Slovakia Slovenia Sweden Switzerland	France Hungary

How are the people who prepare the complaints for decision-making appointed?

Council	Selection of Complaint Preparer
Albania	Not applicable
Austria	Executive office consists of employees, Senate Chairs are chosen by the Board of the Association
Belgium - Dutch	Secretary-general is full-time employee; reporting commission are selected from the full Council (1 journalist; 1 from media; 1 from public)
Belgium - French & German	Secretary-general is full-time employee; commission of three is drawn from the full Council
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Complaints officer is a full time employee
Bulgaria	-
Canada - Québec	Analyst is employee; admissibility committee is selected by the Board of Directors
Croatia	Secretary is an employee of the journalists' association
Cyprus	-
Denmark	Chair is recommended by the president of the Supreme Court, and formally appointed by the Minister of Justice
Estonia	Secretary is part-time employee
Finland	Complaint officer is employee, chair of the organization is appointed for 4 year term via open vacancy by the annual meeting of the Association
France	The members are people that represent the journalists, the publishers, and the public, respectively
Georgia	The secretary is a full-time employee of the organization
Germany	The executive office consists of paid employees, chairpersons are chosen among committee members
Hungary	-
Iceland	CEO is employed by the Union
Ireland	Case officer and ombudsman are employees, Ombudsman is selected by Press Council, following public competition
Kosovo	Complaints officer and legal advisor are employees of the organization
Luxembourg	President is someone representing the public, traditionally a judge, who is appointed by the General Assembly of the organization
Netherlands	Vice-chair is appointed by board, secretary is employee
North Macedonia	Executive director is appointed every four years by the board of the organization
Norway	-
Slovakia	-
Slovenia	Secretary-General is employee; the council member volunteers to prepare the case
Sweden	The position of the Ombudsman, when vacated, will be filled by Board of Association, which searches for candidates. The official appointment is done by a group of three: the chair of the National Press Club, the chair of the Bar Association, and the Parliamentary Ombudsman.
Switzerland	Executive director is full-time employee, Council members and President of the Council are elected by the board of the Foundation
UK Impress	Office workers are full-time employees

How many members (including substitutes) does the full complaints commission have?

Council Members
Council	Members
Albania	5
Austria	33
Belgium - Dutch	36
Belgium - French & German	40
Bosnia and Herzegovina	11
Bulgaria	10
Canada - Québec	22
Croatia	11
Cyprus	17
Denmark	16
Estonia	10
Finland	27
France	60
Georgia	9
Germany	28
Hungary	-
Iceland	5
Ireland	1
Kosovo	36
Luxembourg	4
Netherlands	24
North Macedonia	7
Norway	7
Slovakia	9
Slovenia	11
Sweden	32
Switzerland	21
UK Impress	7

What types of groups are part of the complaints commission?

Council	Council Composition
Albania	All 5 are academics or experts
Austria	All members are journalists, the chairs are lawyers
Belgium - Dutch	12 delegates of the publishers; 12 delegates of the journalist association; 12 members of the public/experts
Belgium - French & German	6 journalists from journalist association, 6 editors, 2 editors-in-chief, 6 members from civil society. Each member has a substitute.
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Journalists, academics, and legal practitioners (no fixed number of these categories stipulated)
Bulgaria	Journalists, professors, and lawyers (but no quotum)
Canada - Québec	One president (from the public), 7 journalist members, 7 media company members, 7 members from the public
Croatia	11 journalists
Cyprus	5 members from civil society, 12 from the media sector
Denmark	One chair (supreme court justice), one vice-chair (lawyer), two members from the public, two editors, two journalists. Times two as every member has a deputy.
Estonia	6 people from news media, 4 outsiders
Finland	1 Chair, 5 (+5 substitutes) from the public, 8 (+8 substitutes) from the media
France	-
Georgia	9 journalists (3 from the capital, 6 from the rest of the country)
Germany	14 people delegated from publishers; 14 from the unions
Hungary	There is no standing council, but instead there is a list of 50 people (journalists, retired journalists, experts, and academics) who may be asked to sit on the complaints commission
Iceland	The Committee consists almost always of people who are non-active or retired journalists (but there is no guideline that stipulates this)
Ireland	The Press Ombudsman
Kosovo	36 Journalists
Luxembourg	4 members + 1 non-voting president
Netherlands	One (non-voting) Chair, 4 vice-chairs (all magistrates); 10 members with background in journalism; 10 representatives of the public (5 experts & 5 citizens)
North Macedonia	2 representatives of media owners; 2 representatives proposed by Association of Journalists; 3 representatives of the public (experts in media, ethics, law)
Norway	2 journalists; 2 editors; 3 lay people
Slovakia	-
Slovenia	9 journalists, 2 representatives of the public
Sweden	4 judges; 16 representatives of the media; 12 members of the public
Switzerland	15 media professionals, 6 representatives of the public
UK Impress	People with different backgrounds, but who are not politically active or active journalists / editors (only after 5 year cooldown)

Who appoints members of body that decides on complaints?

Council	How are the members of the complaints commission selected?
Albania	Council members are appointed by the general assembly of the organization
Austria	Elected by the board of the Press Council
Belgium - Dutch	12 members appointed by publishers; 12 members appointed by journalist association; 12 members chosen from the public/experts
Belgium - French & German	6 journalists from journalist association, 6 editors nominated by media members, 2 editors-in-chief, chosen by journalists and media, 6 from civil society by public call and chosen by journalists and media. Formal appointment is by the executive board of the Association.
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Board draft a list of people who would be good candidates for the Council, and appoints people from this list
Bulgaria	-
Canada - Québec	Journalist members are nominated by the journalist union, media members are nominated by media companies, president and public members are selected by the Board (after public announcement of the vacancy) and by recommendation of a selection committee
Croatia	Members can run for the council and are elected by the General Assembly of the association
Cyprus	Members from the media are nominated by their respective organization (3 nominated by the union of journalists, 3 by the media publishers, 1 by the public broadcaster, 2 from commercial tv stations, 1 from commercial radio, and 2 from online media). These members choose the 5 civil society members
Denmark	Formally, everyone by Minister of Justice. Chair is recommended by president of Supreme Court. Journalist-members are recommended by Journalist Union. Editor-members recommended by editors association, TV stations can nominate members. Laypeople recommended by Danish association for adult education
Estonia	Media outlets can recommend certain people, the newsmedia association board formally appoints them
Finland	Eight members proposed by member organizations (3 year term); Five members of the public, selected by Council via public vacancy (3 year term)
France	-
Georgia	Elected from the members of the organization
Germany	The four ‘trägerorganisationen’ each delegate 7 people
Hungary	Member media nominate suitable candidates for the list
Iceland	3 members nominated by the union, 1 by the publishers, 1 by an ethical institute (liked to the university)
Ireland	Ombudsman is selected by Press Council, following public competition
Kosovo	Each of the 36 members (media outlets) of the organization selects one person
Luxembourg	Appointed by the Press Council itself
Netherlands	Chair: no specific procedure; vice-chair by referral; journalist members proposed by editors’ association or journalist association; public members: public vacancy; experts: by referral. Interviews with secretary and chair, formal appointment by Board.
North Macedonia	The managing board of the organization
Norway	Journalists are recommended by the journalist union; Editors are recommended by the editors’ association; Lay members are recommended by a group of four (secretary-general, 2 people from society selected by the board, and one former lay member)
Slovakia	3 members proposed by the syndicate of journalists, 3 proposed by print media association, 3 proposed by internet media association. No rules on what background these people should have, but they cannot be active journalists
Slovenia	5 of the journalists selected by association; the other 4 by the general assembly of the union. One member of the public is nominated by association's general assembly; the other one is nominated by the union's assembly
Sweden	Judges are appointed by the Board of the Council; media representatives are chosen by Parliamentary Ombudsman and Chair of the Bar Association; representatives of the media are chosen by the companies / organizations that constitute the Association of the Council
Switzerland	Council members are elected by the board of the Foundation
UK Impress	An independent Appointment Panel (consisting of 2 Board members and 5 external members) selects new Board members

How many complaints commission members decide on each single complaint?

Council	Who Decides
Albania	All 5 members
Austria	One Senate: 10 members + 1 chair
Belgium - Dutch	All 36 members
Belgium - French & German	20 Council members
Bosnia and Herzegovina	9 members
Bulgaria	All 10 members
Canada - Québec	6 members (2 journalists, 2 media representatives, 2 members of the public)
Croatia	All 11 members
Cyprus	All 17 members
Denmark	4 members of the council: the chair, 1 editor, 1 journalist, 1 member from the public
Estonia	All 10 members
Finland	Chair + 13 council members
France	30 council members
Georgia	All 9 members
Germany	One Council of 12 members (except for data-related matters, 10 member Council)
Hungary	3 people from the list: one picked by the complainant, one by the media outlet, and one by the press council
Iceland	All 5 members
Ireland	The Press Ombudsman
Kosovo	All 36 members
Luxembourg	All 4 members
Netherlands	5 members: Chair/deputy, two journalist members and two external members (1 expert + 1 citizen)
North Macedonia	All 7 members
Norway	All 7 members
Slovakia	All 9 members
Slovenia	All 11 members
Sweden	Group of 12: one judge; 6 media representatives; 5 representatives of the public
Switzerland	7 members (5 media professionals, 2 representatives of the public)
UK Impress	At least 3 members: Chair + at least 2 members of the Board

Do the members of the complaints commission receive any financial compensation?

	Yes	No	Unanswered
%	75	21	4
#	21	6	1
Countries	Albania Austria Belgium - Dutch Bosnia and Herzegovina Canada - Québec Cyprus Denmark Estonia Finland Georgia Germany Iceland Ireland Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Slovakia Slovenia Sweden Switzerland UK Impress	Belgium - French & German Bulgaria Croatia Hungary Kosovo Luxembourg	France

Is it formally possible that one or both parties are invited to an oral hearing as part of the complaints process?

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Preparation prior to complaint-handling body

Before the meeting at which a decision about a complaint is taken, does anyone check whether or not the formal requirements are met?

Who verifies that the formal requirements are met?

Before the meeting at which a decision about a complaint is taken, does anyone check that the complaint is within the media council's scope?

Who verifies that the complaint is within the media council's scope?

Before the meeting at which a decision about a complaint is taken, is it possible to dismiss the case when it is clearly baseless?

If it is possible to dismiss a baseless complaint, who makes this decision?

If a case is dismissed on formal grounds, or because there clearly was no ethical wrongdoing, is it possible for the complainant to appeal to that decision?

Additional information, if yes

Additional information, if no

Before the meeting at which a decision about a complaint is taken, does anyone write a summary of the case?

Who makes a summary of the case?

Before the meeting at which a decision about a complaint is taken, does anyone summarize decisions that the council made in similar cases in the past?

Who summarizes decisions that the council made in similar cases in the past?

Before the case heads to the full complaint-handling body to take a decision, does someone advice whether the case should be upheld or not?

Additional information, if yes

Before the case heads to the full complaint-handling body to take a decision, does anyone write a draft decision (that can be amended based on the discussion of the decision-making body)?

Additional information, if yes

Are there any other preparations done before the complaint is treated by the decision-making body?

Additional information, if yes

How are the people who prepare the complaints for decision-making appointed?

How many members (including substitutes) does the full complaints commission have?

What types of groups are part of the complaints commission?

Who appoints members of body that decides on complaints?

How many complaints commission members decide on each single complaint?

Do the members of the complaints commission receive any financial compensation?

Additional information, if yes

Is it formally possible that one or both parties are invited to an oral hearing as part of the complaints process?

Additional information, if yes

Is it possible that the decision contains a dissenting opinion?

Additional information, if yes

Clarification of unanswered

Is the government involved in the complaints handling procedure?

Is it possible for either party to appeal the complaints committee's decision?

In case of an appeal, which people make the new decision?

Who selects the people who make the new decision?

	Yes	No
%	57	43
#	16	12
Countries	Albania Austria Belgium - Dutch Belgium - French & German Canada - Québec Cyprus Finland Georgia Germany Hungary Iceland Luxembourg Netherlands Slovakia Slovenia UK Impress	Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Denmark Estonia France Ireland Kosovo North Macedonia Norway Sweden Switzerland

	Yes	No	Unanswered
%	43	50	7
#	12	14	2
Countries	Belgium - Dutch Belgium - French & German Bosnia and Herzegovina Canada - Québec Croatia Denmark Finland Georgia Iceland Luxembourg Norway Sweden	Albania Austria Bulgaria Estonia France Germany Hungary Kosovo Netherlands North Macedonia Slovakia Slovenia Switzerland UK Impress	Cyprus Ireland

	Yes	No
%	18	82
#	5	23
Countries	Bosnia and Herzegovina Canada - Québec Cyprus Hungary Ireland	Albania Austria Belgium - Dutch Belgium - French & German Bulgaria Croatia Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Iceland Kosovo Luxembourg Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Slovakia Slovenia Sweden Switzerland UK Impress

Council	In case of an appeal, which people make the new decision?
Bosnia and Herzegovina	A specialized commission for each decision, which consists of three media editors, members of the Council's Assembly, and Executive director of the Council
Canada - Québec	Six ex-members of the Council
Cyprus	The full council
Hungary	The Board of the Council
Ireland	13 Council members: 7 from the public, 6 from media industry (5 from media outlets, 1 from journalist union)

Council	Who selects the people who make the new decision?
Bosnia and Herzegovina	The managing board
Canada - Québec	The members of this committee are selected by the Board of Directors of the organization
Cyprus	Members from the media are nominated by their respective organization (3 nominated by the union of journalists, 3 by the media publishers, 1 by the public broadcaster, 2 from commercial tv stations, 1 from commercial radio, and 2 from online media). These members choose the 5 civil society members
Hungary	The six board members are chosen among the editors-in-chief who are member of the organization
Ireland	Groups (types) of media nominate representatives; journalist union holds internal competition; for the members from the public, a call is publicly advertised, and the selection is done by the Appointments Committee