Following a three-day mission to Sofia between 24-26 September, a coalition of international journalists and press freedom organisations, including the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), concluded that progress is needed to prevent and prosecute attacks on journalists, resolve the ongoing dispute over the leadership of the public broadcaster, guarantee the independence of the Council for Electronic Media (CEM) and pass anti-SLAPP legislation. Despite the important work of key journalist associations, there is a low level of solidarity within the journalistic profession. The mission, organised by the Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform and the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) also found that Bulgaria…

At least six journalists have been injured since early September while covering the protests against the 2026 national budget plan. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners condemn the deliberate violence by law enforcement officers and call once again on the French authorities to protect and recognise the work of journalists as essential during protests. On 18 September 2025, a journalist from the public television channel France 2 was hospitalised in Lyon after being injured while covering the second day of the “Bloquons tout” (Block Everything) protests against the French government. The journalist…

Following a meeting with the Palestinian Ambassador to the EU in Brussels, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the European Trade Union Federations, including the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), reiterate their call for more decisive and principled action by the European Union on Gaza. We welcome the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, including the statement that “recognition and realization of the State of Palestine are an essential and indispensable component of the achievement of the two-State solution”. In line with the Statement of the…

Between 24-25 September, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) will join a coalition of international media freedom and journalist organisations travelling to Bulgaria to conduct a press freedom mission on behalf of the Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform and the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR). The delegation, which will include the EFJ General Secretary, Ricardo Gutiérrez, will conduct a series of meetings over two days in the capital Sofia with stakeholders including the Bulgarian President, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior, Council of Electronic Media (CEM), Office of General Prosecutor, Commission for Personal Data Protection, Central Election Commission, and representatives…

TikTok employees are continuing their strike this week amid the social media company’s refusal to engage in collective bargaining after announcing the layoffs of 150 content moderators. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its German affiliate ver.di and the striking workers in urging management to enter into constructive dialogue and negotiate a collective agreement. “We trained your machines, pay us what we deserve!” This is what TikTok employees in Germany are demanding, following the announcement that about 150 content moderators in Berlin from the Trust and Safety department and TikTok Live will be replaced by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and…

September 19 marks one year since the death of Victoria Roshchyna, a Ukrainian journalist who had been held for over a year in Russian captivity. On this day, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its MFRR partners in remembering Victoria and demanding justice for her death from Russian authorities. Roshchyna’s body was repatriated to Ukraine and buried in Kyiv only on 8 August 2025, almost one year after the official date of her death recorded by Russian authorities. According to Ukrainian forensic investigators, Roshchyna’s body showed numerous signs of torture, including burn marks from electric shocks, cuts on the…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the Safe Journalists Network (SJN) and the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners in expressing, in an open letter to the Parliament of Albania, our serious concern over recent proposals by the parliamentary majority to significantly restrict journalists’ access to the Parliament of Albania.

The Danish government has announced its intention to introduce a public-funded Ombudsperson for the media with broad legal powers concentrated into a single state-appointed institution. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), as well as Danish media and journalist groups in opposing the proposal, warning that rather than strengthening the existing media regulatory framework, it would weaken the role of the Press Council and risks creating new avenues for unjustified or politicised interference in healthy media ecosystem. The role and powers given to the new Media Ombudsperson were outlined by the…

The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) is helping 10 journalists and media workers resettle abroad after their release in Lithuania on 11 September, in a deal brokered by the United States. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins BAJ in condemning the “forcible expulsion” and calls for international solidarity to support those rebuilding their lives outside Belarus and the 28 journalists still behind bars. The 10 journalists and 42 other political prisoners were brought to Lithuania by bus in what has been described as “forced exile,” with most of them nearing the end of their prison sentences. Without passports nor…

This Monitoring Report takes stock of the press freedom situation in 36 EU Member States and candidate countries during the first six months of 2025. Between January and June, the Mapping Media Freedom database documented 709 press freedom violations, affecting 1249 media workers or entities.  The report documents a vast variety of attacks, indicating that media workers in Europe operate in an increasingly hostile environment. The types of attacks documented included verbal attacks – such as death threats and smear campaigns – physical attacks, attacks to property, legal incidents, and interference with reporting work.  Media workers faced threats in different…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomes the release on Thursday of 52 political prisoners, including 9 journalists, by the Belarusian authorities. There are still 27 journalists in prison in Belarus. The EFJ demands their immediate release. On Thursday, Belarus has freed 52 political prisoners of different nationalities. They have crossed into Lithuania, in what appeared to be the largest release of detainees in years. The release was announced as Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko met in Minsk with John Coale, a representative of US President Donald Trump. In return, the United States announced that they were lifting sanctions on the Belarusian…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the undersigned media freedom, journalists’, and freedom of expression organizations in strongly condemning the recent physical and verbal attacks on independent media by activists of the Georgian Dream ruling party and a police officer. These latest serious physical attacks are the result of long-standing impunity for crimes against journalists in Georgia. We demand an independent and thorough investigation into these incidents and that all those responsible be fully held accountable. On the evening of September 8, tensions near Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze’s campaign office escalated between peaceful protesters and Georgian Dream activists. Reports…

Turkey is increasingly throttling social media platforms and messaging apps to silence online communication at moments of profound political or social importance. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the undersigned human rights and press freedom organisations in condemn Turkey’s actions, which isolate people from vital information, and stifle democratic participation. Turkey must correct course and uphold its international human rights obligations. On 7 September at 23:45, major social media platforms and messaging services X, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal became inaccessible in Istanbul for approximately 21 hours. The bandwidth throttling coincided with a police blockade of the main opposition Republican…

In a new EFJ “#PressTalks” episode, Swedish foreign reporter Joakim Medin for the newspaper Dagens ETC shares his story as a journalist imprisoned for 51 days in a Turkish prison on terrorism charges.  Joakim is a member of the Swedish Union of Journalists (SJF) and benefitted from strong international support during his detention. This mobilisation certainly played a part in his release, as he was eventually able to return to Sweden on 17 May while awaiting trial, just in time for the birth of his first child. We talked to Joakim as he prepares for his first hearing, scheduled on…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and more than 100 media and journalists’ organisations have jointly called for the United States Government to withdraw its recent proposal to drastically shorten visas for foreign journalists. The current I visa framework, which typically allows for stays of up to five years, has for decades ensured that international journalists can report accurately on rolling and breaking  news in the United States.   By spending years, not months, on the ground, journalists gain the deep knowledge, trusted networks and contextual immersion needed to explain America to global audiences. This  serves a critical U.S. interest: ensuring…