In this proposal, we suggest a comparative European research project on media accountability systems in EU member states as indicators for media pluralism in Europe. The project will analyze the development and impact of established media accountability systems (i.e. press councils, ethics codes) as well as new media accountability systems emerging in the Internet (i.e. media criticism in blogs). The main goals of this research project are • to investigate the quantity and quality of media accountability systems as prerequisites for pluralistic debates about media independence in times of growing media concentration, • to compare the impact of established and innovative media accountability systems online on different media systems and journalism cultures in Europe and beyond, • to develop policy recommendation for EU media lawmakers, as well as incentives for media professionals and media users alike to actively engage in media accountability systems. The project will be a joint interdisciplinary effort of a team of 11 partners form Eastern and Western Europe as well as one partner from the Arab World (members of the European-Mediterranean partnership), using a multi-method approach (survey, desk studies and expert interviews) for the analysis. Since the project aims at analyzing the potential of media accountability systems for media accountability and transparency, it will carry the acronym MediaAcT.