The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), its partner organisations from the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) will travel to Paris from 9 to 11 June 2026 to assess the current state of media freedom in France, less than a year before the presidential elections.  While France’s legal and regulatory framework is generally supportive of media freedom, there has been an alarming increase in the number and severity of attacks documented on journalists and media outlets in recent years. As of 3 June 2026, 376 violations of press freedom affecting 590 media professionals had been documented since…

EU Member States must show political leadership and join calls for the suspension of EU funds to Serbia to prevent the spiral of violence against journalists from escalating into deadly attacks, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and nine undersigned organisations said on Friday in a series of letters sent to a group of Ministers for European Affairs across Europe. The organisations highlight the shocking numbers of physical, legal and online attacks against journalists as recorded on international monitoring platforms since November 2024, a level of persistent violence against media that is rare in any EU member state or candidate country. Since the…

Since the contested parliamentary elections in October 2024, Georgia has experienced one of the most rapid and serious deteriorations of press freedom ever seen in an EU member state or candidate country, Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners warn today. As we mark World Press Freedom Day 2026, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its partners once again draws attention to the plight of independent media and journalists in Georgia, where the Russia-friendly ruling party has continued its intensifying clampdown over the past year. Our thoughts today are particularly with jailed journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, who has now been behind…

To mark World Press Freedom Day, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its partners from the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) are publishing today an analysis of six years of monitoring data that reveals, in granular detail, the most serious challenges and trends threatening freedom of the press in Europe. The MFRR consortium first began comprehensive monitoring in 2020 and has become the largest public database of media freedom violations in Europe. Our Mapping Media Freedom (MapMF) platform has now recorded 6092 media freedom violations in Europe affecting more than 10,200 different journalists and media-related entities in EU Member States…

Media freedom in Kosovo has experienced a period of decline since 2023 amidst a series of negative developments, which calls for immediate political action by the government, an international media freedom mission including the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) concluded today. Following a two-day visit to Pristina by a coalition of media freedom organisations as part of the Council of Europe’s Platform for the Safety of Journalists, the delegation found that a stable level of media freedom in the aspiring European Union accession country has been replaced by a period of deterioration over the past three years. While Kosovo has…

On 26-27 March 2026, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) will join its partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and of the Council of Europe Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists, to conduct a mission to Serbia. Against the backdrop of ongoing challenges to media pluralism and increasing attacks and pressure on independent journalists – particularly in the wake of nationwide protests following the Novi Sad tragedy on 1 November 2024 – as highlighted by the recently launched 2025 Europe Press Freedom report of the CoE Platform partners, and the 2025  MFRR Monitoring…

Media freedom in Italy has continued its overall downward trajectory in the past two years, amidst the car bomb attack on one of the country’s most famous journalists, new spyware attacks on reporters, politicisation of the public broadcaster, legal harassment of journalists by governing politicians, and continued concerns over media pluralism, partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) said today. The findings of the MFRR consortium, shared at a press conference in Rome following a follow-up advocacy mission on 9-10 March, conclude that since our organisations’ previous visit to Italy in 2024 the climate for press freedom and…

A recent defamation decision by the Court of Appeal in North Macedonia against the Investigative Reporting Lab (IRL) is a worrying development for media freedom in the country which should be overturned on further appeal, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) said today. At a public hearing before the Court of Appeal in Skopje on 26 February, the court ruled against IRL’s appeal and upheld the defamation verdict previously handed down to the media outlet and its editor-in-chief Saška Cvetkovska. IRL is an independent and non-profit investigative media platform and a local partner of the Organized…

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners, including the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), will conduct an advocacy mission to Rome, Italy, on 9–10 March 2026 to assess key developments affecting press and media freedom in the country and push for implementation of crucial reforms.  The mission will focus on four main themes: the reform of the public broadcaster RAI and its compliance with the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA); the transposition of the EU Anti-SLAPP Directive and broader defamation reform; digital threats and the use of surveillance against journalists; and media market concentration and its compatibility with the EMFA. …

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the SafeJournalists Network (SJN) in strongly condemning the recent physical attacks against journalists and media professionals in the Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, which represent a severe threat to media freedom and the safety of those working in the public interest. On 7 February, journalist Sanja Vasković, editor-in-chief of the Spin portal, was verbally abused and physically hindered while reporting on a story in East Sarajevo. Her phone was forcibly seized, and her safety was jeopardised as she sought to investigate environmental and transparency concerns. The law enforcement classified the incident as a…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners in welcoming the European Commission’s EU Democracy Shield initiative and the European Parliament’s Special Committee’s Rapporteur’s draft report published on 21 January. While the Shield lays out critical political priorities and policy measures to defend democracy, these require further operationalisation. We reiterate our calls for a comprehensive action plan that elaborates on the concrete implementation and timeline for these commitments. The MFRR partners share this more detailed response that aims to translate the political commitments of the Democracy Shield into concrete actions that can feed into the Parliamentary Debate on…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is delighted to co-organise, once again this year, the third edition of Voices, the European Festival of Journalism and Media Freedom. (In case you missed it, the festival will return to Florence from 10 to 12 March 2026!) And with it comes the third round of the Voices Awards, now with more prizes! We are awarding 25 prizes for 1,200€ each to journalists and media freedom advocates to participate in Voices 2026. The Voices Awards are a competition that celebrates the talent and dedication of professionals who uphold media freedom. The competition features seven distinct categories for a total…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today joins the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in welcoming the publication of the 2025 EU Enlargement Package and highlights key media freedom developments and concerns that should shape negotiations with candidate countries moving forward. Our organisations welcome the sharpening of criticism of certain countries engaging in egregious media freedom violations by the Commission in this year’s report, particularly Serbia and Georgia, and stress that assessments for all countries must now translate into effective progress on media freedom, media pluralism and freedom of expression. The Enlargement Package recognises freedom of expression, media freedom, and…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) and the International Press Institute (IPI) in urging Kosovo Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti to ensure Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK) staff receive their salaries and to address the critical RTK budget issue, which was raised in the recently released EU enlargement country report.  

While Bulgaria has experienced modest progress on media freedom in the last four years, the situation remains undermined by persistent structural, legal and political challenges, with urgent action needed by government and public authorities to push forward both domestic and EU-mandated reforms. These are the key findings of a media freedom report published today following a three-day joint fact-finding mission to the country between 24-26 September 2025 by the partner organisations of the Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform and the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), which includes the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ). It provides an executive summary of…

Voices, the European Festival of Journalism and Media Freedom, returns to Florence at Teatro del Maggio Musicale on 10–12 March 2026. Following the success of its debut in Florence and the second edition in Zagreb, which drew more than 2,000 participants, the festival returns with renewed energy, building on what worked, sharpening its focus on media freedom, and raising the bar with new partners and formats. Following the new Florence edition, Voices will tour two more European cities, bringing the conversation closer to local communities. “What began as an ambitious idea — to create the First European Festival of Journalism…