The Minister for Communications, Mr Dermot Ahern, will chair an informal meeting of European broadcasting ministers tomorrow and Wednesday in Dublin and Drogheda, Co Louth.
The European Commission's Television Without Frontiers directive, which allows satellite broadcasters to avoid regulation in countries outside their broadcasting headquarters, will be under discussion at the meeting.
Under proposals made by Mr Ahern recently, satellite broadcasters would come under the jurisdiction of member states into which they provide services. The reform proposals also provide for satellite broadcasters to contribute regulatory fees.
Mr Ahern said: "This informal Council meeting this week provides ministers charged with broadcasting policy an opportunity to examine closely the Commission's programme of work this year and next.
"We are anxious during Ireland's Presidency to contribute to the Commission's work by facilitating a debate on the importance of television broadcasting in promoting and protecting cultural diversity in an enlarged union with particular reference to the impact of trans-frontier television services.
"I know from my contacts with other member states during the review process that a number have expressed concern about the impact of television services that are regulated in one member state but intended primarily for reception in another.
"We recognise that the question of jurisdiction over broadcasters is a complex matter but believe that an informal political discussion on the topic would be useful at this stage. Such a discussion would provide member states with an opportunity to explore the relative importance of these concerns in an informal setting."