Paris (AFP)

The CSA reminded Europe 1 and its parent company Lagardère of several of their legal obligations, in a letter of which AFP obtained a copy on Saturday, an approach carried out with a view to the transformation of the group, which raises serious concerns within the resort.

The director general of the Superior council of audio-visual addressed this letter to Constance Benqué, the president of Lagardère News (Europe 1, RFM, Virgin Radio ...).

After the announcement in April of a plan to transform Lagardère into a public limited company, a major change in status for the group until now controlled by Arnaud Lagardère, he recalls that the company is subject to a series of legal obligations, included in the audiovisual law of 1986 and in several agreements concluded with the CSA.

These provisions give in particular to the CSA the power to withdraw an authorization of diffusion of a service of radio or television on the hertzian waves, "in the event of substantial modification of the data in view of which the authorization had been delivered, in particular of the intervening changes. in the composition of the share capital or of the management bodies and in the financing methods ", according to the text of this law.

They also oblige the editors of such a service to "obtain an approval from the Superior council of audio-visual in the event of modification of the direct or indirect control".

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"It is therefore up to the Lagardère group to take the initiative to refer the matter to the Board as soon as possible, and in any event prior to carrying out the envisaged operations", warned the CSA, which also asked Lagardère to communicate to it the draft new statutes.

This CSA approach comes at a time when Europe 1 is currently in the midst of a crisis, fueled by the maneuvers around Lagardère and the sights on the station lent to the group's main shareholder, Vincent Bolloré.

The radio employees decided on Friday to go on strike to protest the dismissal of a journalist, against a background of growing unease within the station between the departure plan and the proposed merger with the CNews news channel (Canal + group), controlled by Mr. Bolloré.

© 2021 AFP