IPM-Rossel Merger Approved: Unions Warn of Media Job Losses
The Belgian Competition Authority (ABC) has authorized the acquisition of IPM’s press activities by the Rossel media group, creating a dominant force in French-language Belgian media — a move that journalists’ unions warn will lead to severe job losses and threaten media pluralism.
Approved on July 3, 2026, the merger will give Rossel control over approximately 94% of the French-language daily print press market and about 82% of online news platforms in French-speaking Belgium, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
A Historic Media Consolidation
Under the terms of the transaction, Rossel — publisher of Le Soir, Sudinfo, and holder of 50% stakes in L’Echo and RTL Belgium — will absorb IPM’s press titles, including La Libre Belgique, La DH/Les Sports+, L’Avenir, Moustique, Télé Pocket, and Paris Match Belgique. The Le Hodey family, owners of IPM, will receive approximately 8-10% of Rossel’s capital in a stock swap arrangement, as reported by L’Avenir.
IPM will retain its non-press assets, including audiovisual channels LN24 and Fun Radio, along with its travel agency and real estate operations.
The ABC granted approval subject to conditions aimed at preserving the quality and diversity of French-language daily press. These include maintaining the “quasi-totality” of press titles, preserving each newspaper’s editorial identity, and appointing an independent trustee to monitor compliance. Title closure is permitted only if Rossel can demonstrate it is “no longer economically reasonable,” according to La Libre Belgique.
Unions Warn of ‘Social Bloodbath’
Journalist unions at L’Avenir have reacted with alarm. Emmanuel Wilputte, a Synova union delegate, told La Libre Belgique: “We’re already talking about restructuring by the new owners. Jobs are heavily threatened, particularly at L’Avenir, the buyers have made no secret of it. We fear a social bloodbath.”
In a joint statement, the CNE and Synova unions emphasized the human cost behind the corporate transaction: “Behind the Excel spreadsheets are women and men who produce quality local information every day that is essential to democratic life.”
The unions have warned they will consider “all forms of union action,” including strike notice, if workers face “excessive cost-cutting measures or unjustified job losses.” The operational implementation of the merger is not expected before autumn 2026.
Pluralism Under Threat
The merger has drawn sharp criticism from media freedom advocates. Julie Majerczak, Director of the RSF Brussels office, stated: “The extreme concentration of the French-language Belgian press market is bad news for media pluralism. And it results in part from the economic pressures weighing on media, increasingly forcing them into mergers or closures.”
The European Committee of Media Services issued an opinion on July 2 warning that such concentration “could significantly affect the diversity of ownership, plurality of editorial voices, range of information available to the public, and conditions under which journalists exercise their editorial independence.”
Notably, Belgium has not yet fully adapted its legal framework to the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), applicable since August 2025, which requires concentration operations in the media sector to undergo assessment of their effects on media pluralism and editorial independence. As a result, this specific assessment was not conducted.
What’s Next
The merger reflects the structural challenges facing print media across Europe — declining readership, difficulty monetizing digital transition, and growing competitive pressure from Big Tech on advertising revenue. Both Rossel and IPM management have argued the merger is essential for survival.
As the autumn 2026 implementation deadline approaches, all eyes will be on Rossel to demonstrate that its commitments to preserve editorial independence and jobs are more than words on paper. The independent trustee appointed by the ABC will play a crucial role in monitoring compliance. For the journalists at L’Avenir and other affected titles, the coming months will determine whether this historic consolidation strengthens or weakens the fabric of French-language media in Belgium.