Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the European Commission
3.3.2025
‘Online platforms’ within the meaning of the Digital Services Act (DSA)[1] are hosting services that, at the request of the recipient of the service, store and disseminate information to the public.
An exception applies where such activity is a minor and purely ancillary feature of another service or a minor functionality of the principal service.
Public service media providers are media service providers entrusted with a public service remit and receiving public funding for the fulfilment of that remit.
Whether the services and websites referenced by the Honourable Member constitute an intermediary service, and in particular, an online platform within the meaning of the DSA, will depend on the possibility by users to upload their own content and the economic relevance of such service.
For example, a video on demand service under the editorial responsibility of a public broadcaster which does not store and disseminate user-generated content may not qualify as an online platform pursuant to the DSA.
The existence of a comments section that is ancillary to the main service of such type would not change this finding. By contrast, services one of the main functionalities of which is the storage and dissemination of user-generated content may qualify as online platforms, regardless of a public funding.
The Commission closely cooperates with the Digital Services Coordinators (DSCs), such as the Bundesnetzagentur, to ensure an effective implementation and enforcement of the DSA vis-à-vis all services that fall within its scope.
The DSCs retain exclusive powers to supervise and enforce the DSA for those services that have not been designated as a very large online platform or very large online search engine.
- [1] Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market for Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (Digital Services Act), OJ L 277, 27.10.2022, p. 1 — 102.