* The author wishes to thank the British Academy for funding research trips to EU accession states, and to acknowledge the cooperation of many public officials and media experts who agreed to be interviewed. She would also like to thank Bruno de Witte for comments on an earlier draft. 1 Jean Monnet Fellow, Robert Schuman Centre, European University Institute, Via dei Roccettini 9, 50016 San Domenico di Fiesole, Florence, Italy. The Regulation of Media Markets in selected EU Accession States in Central and Eastern Europe* Alison Harcourt 1 Abstract: This article examines the phenomenon of policy transfer in the EU accession countries of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia. When formulating media laws in the early 1990s,these countries were presented with models put forth by advisors from the US and EU Member States. Advisors proposed models based upon their own domestic policy and/or organisation agendas. A resulting ‘battle of the models’ can be observed with different experts and actors lobbying for the adoption of contrasting regu- latory models. Underlying this were often political, economic and trade interests. In par- ticular, ‘Western’ governments were interested in guaranteeing the opening of new markets, and the stability of these new media markets for Western capital investment, as well as wider political concerns of consolidating democracy in Europe. Interest groups and NGOs wished to transfer their ideas to Eastern Europe often in advocacy of their own agendas in an enlarged Europe. I Introduction Countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have only just begun to regulate their burgeoning media markets and are utilising specific regulatory models that are already in use in the West. When formulating media laws, countries were presented with models put forth by various advisors from the USA and Western Europe.Western advisors proposed models based upon their own domestic media policies and/or organisation agendas. What emerged was a ‘battle of the models’ in CEE states with different Western experts and actors lobbying for the adoption of contrasting regulatory models. Underlying this battle were political, economic, and trade interests. Western govern- ments were interested in guaranteeing the opening of new markets, and the stability of these new media markets for Western capital investment, as well as wider political con- cerns of consolidating democracy in Europe. Interest groups and NGOs wished to European Law Journal, Vol. 9, No. 3, July 2003, pp. 316–340. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2003, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA