EDITORIAL   

2015 has been a year for the EFJ to focus on core union work. We have achieved positive steps in promoting professional rights of journalists and jobs in journalism, developing union recruitment strategies and enforcing the safety of journalists.

On authors’ rights, we have made positive influence to enforce authors’ rights over the European Digital Single Market policy driven by the European Commission. We pushed for strong authors’ rights through fair contracts and collective bargaining that can ensure remuneration for journalists.  We insisted that intermediaries like aggregators and telecommunication companies shall contribute to the production of content. Strong partnership has been built with creators’ organisations in Europe. The cooperation will be enhanced in 2016 as a joint  creators’ conference will be launched on 31 May 2016.

Meanwhile, the crisis in the media with job cuts and deteriorating working conditions remain the major challenges for many journalists across Europe. Despite this, the EFJ has developed programmes focusing on labour rights and union organising to support courageous union leaders. Especially in Eastern Europe  where trade union leaders risk losing their jobs to defend the rights of journalists.  Decent working conditions is a prerequisite for high quality of journalism. We will continue to defend these rights.

On a broader context, we are also active on issues affecting media freedom such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and EU policies on trade secrets, whistle-blowers, and transparency. On media policy, we continue to promote the self-regulatory system and the work of press councils to ensure freedom and ethics in the media.

This year, the safety of journalists has become a growing concerning for the EFJ.  We work with the IFJ on this issue and continue the campaign to free jailed journalists. This fight won’t stop until the perpetrators are brought to justice and journalists can work freely without fear.

To have impact on our work, recruitment and union organising are key elements to build stronger unions. Our project “Rights and Jobs in Journalism” supported by the EU provided the EFJ with resources to strengthen our capacities to service our unions and defend the rights of journalists.

In 2016, we will hold our General Meeting in Sarajevo where journalists in the Balkans face declining labour rights, job insecurity and union organising. We will be there to support our colleagues and raise the standards of media freedom in the country for it to comply with the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

With a focused agenda ahead, we shall continue this momentum in 2016. I wish you all a fruitful year ahead!

European Policy

  COUNCIL OF EUROPE  

“Protect freedom of speech and promote investigative journalism”

(03/12/2015) “Protect freedom of expression online and promote investigative journalism” this is a call made by the EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutiérrez at the CoE Parliamentary Assembly Media Commission in Paris.

The first hearing concerned the motion for a resolution of the Georgian MP Chiora Taktakishvili (ALDE) to enhance collaboration between parliaments and investigative media and to further combat corruption. The second hearing focused on a proposed resolution on freedom of expression on the internet written by the Armenian MP Arpine Hovhannisyan (PPE). Addressing the audience, Gutiérrez emphasised that “there is no miracle” unless member states take actions to establish an environment to allow independent journalism to flourish. 

  EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT  

EFJ hails positive changes to draft Trade Secrets directive: clear exemption for journalists

The tripartite negotiations between the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers and the European Commission on the draft directive on trade secrets may finally come to an end. After months of intensive lobbying efforts with media organisations ENPA, EMMA, EBU and RsF, an agreement is reached to set a clear and explicit exception for journalists in the directive by deleting the conditions of “legitimate use” in Article 4(2). The positive outcome is a result of a series of meetings with European parliamentarians who are responsible for the directive as well as permanent representations of the member states in the Council including Luxembourg, France, United Kingdom, Denmark and the Netherlands.

The latest draft Directive has yet to be approved by the Permanent Representatives Committee of the Council of the EU. It should then be voted by the European Parliament in spring 2016. The EFJ and its affiliates will have pay close attention to how EU member states transpose this European Directive in order to make sure it does not lead to further restrictions on media freedom.Contact: renate.schroeder@ifj.org

EU agrees draft pan-European data privacy rules

The agreement, four years in the making, comes after six months of “trilogue” negotiations between the European Commission, the European parliament and the Council of the European Union, in the last legislative session of the year. The EFJ together with media organisations had lobbied for a directly applicable and legally binding exemption for journalistic data processing and the protection of confidential sources.

Article 80 on “Processing of personal data and freedom of expression and informationÏ” says that Member States shall provide for exemptions or derogations.. if they are necessary to reconcile the right to the protection of personal data with the freedom of expression and information.

Ensuring a fair digital single market : independence of media regulators

(07/12/2015)  A debate took place on the revision of the Audio-Visual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) and the independence of media regulatory authorities hosted by the European Parliament by MEP Sabine Verheyen on 7 December.
The debated focused on the important role of independent media regulators to ensure media pluralism and independence. Participants highlighted that current EU law is far from effective in ensuring media independence and pluralism as there is no obligation for member states to implement measures in this area. Lorena Boix Alonso, Head of Unit at the European Commission responsible for converging media and content presented some of the outcomes of a recent consultation which points to the need to establish measures to ensure the independence of media regulators in member states. According to the results of the consultation, over 60% respondents expressed that it is necessary for the EU to lay down requirement on member states for the independence of regulatory authorities.

  EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

European Commission reveals plans on copyright reform

(09/12/2015) (09/12/2015) The European Commission published a proposal for the review of the current EU copyright law detailing its action plans for the coming years in the area of copyright and authors’ rights related issues. Among others, the Commission communication points in particular at the need for  fair remuneration of authors and performers, “who can be particularly affected by differences in bargaining power when licensing or transferring their rights”. It refers to current mechanisms which authors and performers raised in this context including  the regulation of certain contractual practices, unwaivable remuneration rights, collective bargaining and collective management of rights.

  Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina

EFJ General Meeting, 25 – 26 April 2016

The Bosnia-Herzegovina Journalists’ Association (BHN), an EFJ affiliate, will host the EFJ 2016 General Meeting (GM) on 25 and 26 April 2016 in Sarajevo. EFJ members can register online now until 10 March 2016. All practical information regarding the meeting will be made available on our website soon.

For further enquiry, you can contact us.