The Steering Committee of the European Federation of Journalists decided today that the EFJ will hold its 2017 Annual Meeting in Athens, Greece, on 18th and 19th May, 2017. The meeting will be hosted by the Panhellenic Federation of Journalists’ Unions (POESY-PFJU) in the headquarters of the Journalists’ Union of Athens Daily Newspapers (JUADN). Dimitris Koupias, president of PFJU, said it will be “an opportunity to raise issues about press freedom and journalists’ labour rights in Greece.” Picture credit: Louisa Gouliamaki / AFP.

Update (27/10/2016): On 26 October 2016, the Council of State ruled the TV licence law unconstitutional. ———————- The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) backs its Greek affiliate, the Journalists’ Union of Athens Daily Newspapers (JUADN), to denounce the closure of four out of the eight private TV channels, leading to thousands of job losses, after the decision of the Greek government to launch a multi-million euro auction for four private TV licences despite protests by broadcasters and journalists. The EFJ strongly supports the mobilisation of media workers in the protest to safeguard media pluralism and independent journalism in Greece. Early this year, the Greek government has passed…

Journalists at Greece’s Alpha 989 radio station are to meet to consider action following the “unfair, illegal and abusive” dismissal of their union representative. The International and European Federations of Journalists have pledged their support to Greek affiliate JUADN following the sacking of Georgia Ioannidou. The union had given the radio station’s board a deadline to reinstate Georgia, who is also a board member of JUADN, but the company failed to act. In a statement the union said: “Our colleague has been targeted for being a union representative and her persistence in taking up issues with the personnel department such…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is strongly supporting the initiative of its affiliate in Greece the Journalists’ Union of Macedonia and Thrace Daily Newspapers (ESIEMTH) – who drafted a proposal for the adoption of the Anti-racism Ethics Code of the Greek journalists called The Charter of Idomeni, in the name of the border control village where thousands of refugees are passing through to reach Northern European countries. The aim of the charter is to preserve the social role of journalists in the conditions created by the presence of refugees, migrants, minorities and socially vulnerable groups in Greece, discourage and denounce climates of intolerance, guarantee…

The Pan-Hellenic Federation of Journalists’ Unions (PFJU, EFJ-IFJ affiliate) expresses its opposition to unprecedented ban to journalistic research and reporting aspects of the urgent situation regarding refugee attempted by a new “directive” issued by the Greek ministry of Immigration Policy. According to this directive, “both on the Islands and on the mainland of Greece, television crews and journalists will not be granted license to enter the premises where refugees are hosted until further notice”. PFJU calls on the Greek government to withdraw the decision immediately, since no state of emergency can justify any restriction of individual and social rights constitutionally…

Journalists across Greece stopped broadcasting on 11 February from 18:00 until 01:00 in a protest against government plan to reduce the number of TV licences in Greece to only four national commercials broadcasters. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ and EFJ) and its Greek affiliates (JUADN, PFJU, ESPIT and ESIEMTH) demand the Greek government to withdraw immediately the proposal and guarantee media pluralism and transparency in media ownership. According to the draft law voted on 11 February, the number of TV licences issued to commercial broadcasters will be limited to four. The independent authority (National Broadcasting Council ESR) will be  bypassed and the power to grant…

A radio journalist has been brutally attacked (in picture) on 4 February by unknown assailants while covering a massive rally in the capital, Athens. The International and the European Federations of Journalists, (IFJ) and (EFJ), have joined their Greek affiliate, the Journalists’ Union of Athens Daily Newspapers (JUADN), in calling upon the authorities to condemn the attack and open a prompt investigation. Reporter Demitrios Perros, working as a freelance for municipal radio Athens 9,84FM, was severely attacked by unknown assailants on 4 February in the afternoon while covering the protest rally organized by GSEE and ADEDY (public and private sector…

Greek media will strike will hold a 24-hour strike starting from 6:00 am on Thursday until 6:00 am on Friday, following the general strike that has been scheduled by the country’s public and private sector unions, including the Panhellenic Federation of Journalists’ Unions (an EFJ affiliate), for Thursday 12 November. The strike for journalists covers all print media (newspapers and magazines), public broadcaster ERT and all private TV, radio and internet media, Athens-Macedonian News Agency, Secretariat General of Information and Communication and all Press Offices. The Journalists’ Union of the Athens Daily Newspapers (JUADN-ESIEA), also member of the EFJ, has called on its…

Thousands of Greek journalists who are members of the EFJ affiliates in Greece are taking part in a 24-hour strike starting from 6 am today against a draft bill on broadcasting licences that will be voted by the Greek Parliament on Saturday, 24 October. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has backed journalists’ unions (JUADN, PFJU, ESPIT and ESIEMTH) in Greece by demanding the government to make changes to the draft bill’s provisions that are affecting the journalistic profession, labour relations and restrict access to information. The draft law stipulates that TV stations will be able to obtain a license…

“For the first time in my life I saw my colleagues – photographers and journalists – crying because of the situation”. Macedonian photographer Georgi Licovski, member of the Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM-ZNM), an EFJ affiliate, told TIME magazine he was moved, after spending the day taking pictures at the border from Greece to Macedonia, on Friday 21 August. He added that it was also the first time he has cried while working. Hundreds of refugees trying to cross the border clashed with police lines, just a day after Macedonia closed the border. Georgi Licovski said to TIME magazine there were…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has welcomed the reopening of the Greek public service broadcaster, ERT on 11 June, the same date it was shut down two years ago in 2013 leaving 2600 people out of work. According to recent announcements made by the government, former ERT workers will be able to return to their jobs (except those who retired voluntarily at the time of the closure). It is estimated that around 1500 media workers will be rehired. However, it is not completely clear yet on what terms and conditions these workers will be hired. Marilena Katsimis, former General…

The International Federation of Journalists and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today reiterated their call for an urgent reform of Greek defamation law. The call follows the ruling by a court in Athens which sentenced journalist Kostas Vaxevanis to 26 months in jail, suspended for three years, for defamation. “This is a disproportionate sentence against the journalist which is likely to have a chilling effect on independent reporting in Greece,” said Beth Costa, IFJ General Secretary. “There is an urgent need to reform the Greek law on defamation to strike a fairer balance which protects both the rights of…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has today welcomed the submission of a draft law to the Greek Parliament to allow the reopening of the Greek public broadcaster ERT and the hiring of over 1,500 former ERT workers. Among others, the draft law will allow the reopening of all channels TV (NET, ERT3, ERT1) and radio broadcasters, as well as the print magazine Radiotileorasi which is published by ERT. The draft contains provisions that guarantee the return of around 1,550 former ERT employees. The EFJ member (Journalists’ Union of Macedonia and Thrace Daily Newspapers) in Greece has welcomed the new developments…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has learned today that a draft bill for the reopening of public broadcaster ERT was made available for public consultation on Monday (09/03/2015) and is expected to be submitted in a consultation committee of the Greek Parliament in the coming days. The bill calls for the re-enforcement of the work agreements that were valid up until June 11, 2013, the day when the public broadcaster was shut down, meaning that all those who were made redundant then and would still like their job back will be rehired on the time related terms of the…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has learned today that a draft bill for the reopening of public broadcaster ERT was made available for public consultation on Monday (09/03/2015) and is expected to be submitted in a consultation committee of the Greek Parliament in the coming days. The bill calls for the re-enforcement of the work agreements that were valid up until June 11, 2013, the day when the public broadcaster was shut down, meaning that all those who were made redundant then and would still like their job back will be rehired on the time related terms of the…

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) have welcomed the announcement by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to reopening Greek public broadcaster ERT, which was closed down by the previous government in June 2013. On Monday 9 February Nikos Pappas, the State Minister responsible for public service broadcasting, said that the government will prepare a draft law in a month’s time in order to allow the re-opening of ERT. The PSB went off air in June 2013 and 2700 staff were laid off as part of austerity measures adopted by the government of former Prime…