The Minister for Communications, Mr Ahern, is meeting with his EU counterparts in an attempt to seek regulation for broadcasters who specifically broadcast into Ireland from another country.
Last August, Mr Ahern said that one of his key initiatives during the State's presidency would be to amend the Television Without Frontiers Directive, a set of rules that govern broadcasters in Europe.
Under existing rules, satellite broadcasters are regulated in the state in which they locate their headquarters rather than the states into which they beam their television services. This has enabled BSkyB to avoid regulation in the Republic, despite the fact that it supplies 286,000 homes with a Sky satellite television service.
Ireland contends that such services should only be subject to the regulation of one Member State but that it should be regulation of the Member State that is targeted that should apply.
The Minister said that should Ireland press ahead and restrict the advertising of alcohol, under the existing rules Ireland would not be able to prevent alcohol advertising on television services originating from outside the State.
"We will only be able to gear that legislation at 50 per cent of the viewership in Ireland. If a country wants to restrict advertising in relation to minors or alcohol, they should be able to do that. Presently, we have no such powers," said Mr Ahern.
The Minister added there was significant interest in reviewing the impact of television services beamed specificially from one country into another.
At the EU Informal Broadcasting Council, which commenced today in Dublin Castle, Minister Ahern said a number of countries broadly supported the Irish position of reviewing the regulatory environment.
This afternoon's session addressed the importance of broadcasting services in maintaining cultural diversity in an enlarged Europe.
In Drogheda tomorrow (Boyne Valley Hotel), the session will focus on how television broadcasting services have developed across Europe with particular reference to transfrontier broadcasting and its impact on the markets in individual Member States.