EDITORIAL BY MOGENS BLICHER BJERREGARD, EFJ PRESIDENT The EFJ newsletter, EFJ Focus, is available in English, French and German. Labour rights in South Eastern Europe All evidence shows that strong unions and labour rights are prerequisites for journalists to guarantee quality journalism. This is the message I delivered in a high-level European conference (see below) on  media freedom in Western Balkans and Turkey on 4 November in Brussels. I stressed the importance of journalists’ labour rights, capacity building of journalists’ organisations and a long-term action plan to improve the working conditions of journalists and achieve media freedom in the region. The European Commissioner…

To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has joined European trade unionists pledging to end violence against women at workplace and in society. According to the European Trade Union Congress (ETUC), the shocking facts are that One in three women have been a victim of physical and/or sexual violence. Just over 1 in 10 of those women were assaulted by someone from work – a supervisor, colleague or customer. Up to half of women in European Union countries experience unwanted sexual advances, physical contact or other forms…