In the lead-up to the one-year anniversary of the Novi Sad railway canopy collapse, which killed 16 people on 1 November 2024, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) spoke with Božidar Milovac, a Serbian student and journalist from Novi Sad. While Milovac usually reports on politics and social issues for several media outlets, he has spent the past year primarily covering the massive anti-corruption protests that erupted after the tragedy. These protests have been marked by widespread attacks and violence against journalists. Milovac is no exception: he has been hindered in his work, including verbal intimidation, and had his phone…

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…

On 1 November last year, sixteen people were killed when the Novi Sad Canopy Railway collapsed. This tragedy sparked nationwide protests against government corruption that continue to this day. While Serbian prosecutors have eventually filed indictments against thirteen individuals in relation to the collapse, protesters demanding justice and journalists reporting on the protests and the response by authorities continue to face severe violence and repression, mostly at the hands of public officials and law enforcement. In the lead-up to the first anniversary of this fatal incident, we, the partners of the Council of Europe’s Platform to Promote the Protection of…

War correspondent Olena Gramova and cameraman Yevgen Karmazin, both working for State-funded news organisation Freedom Media, were killed by a drone attack in the city of Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, on 23 October. A third reporter, Alexander Kolychev, was injured and taken to hospital. The International and the European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) join their affiliate, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) and the Independent Media Trade Union of Ukraine (IMTUU), in condemning this heinous crime and call on the authorities to launch an independent investigation to identify those responsible. Freedom Media reported that one of its television crews…

Andrzej Poczobut, Belarusian-Polish journalist and a critic of Alexander Lukashenko’s regime, and Mzia Amaglobeli, Georgian journalist and director of media outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, are the laureates of the 2025 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought awarded by the European Parliament. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-FEJ) welcome the decision and hope this distinction will help draw attention to cases of unjustly detained journalists such as Poczobut and Amaglobeli. The Federations call once again for the immediate release of all imprisoned journalists and media workers in Belarus and Georgia. Andrzej Poczobut and Mzia Amaglobeli are both journalists unjustly imprisoned…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) and more than 100 organisations in calling for robust and strategic EU investment in free and independent media in response to the proposal for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028-2034. As debates intensify over future budget priorities, our organisations stress that Europe’s democratic resilience depends on sustained and strategic support for the public interest information ecosystem. Our call to action We urge the European Parliament, the European Commission, and Member States to guarantee substantial and long-term EU funding and investment for the public interest information…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the undersigned organisations in calling for the removal of the reported anti-LGBTQ+ provision from the 11th Judicial Package which would restrict and possibly criminalise media reporting on the community in Turkey. The draft of the 11th Judicial Package was shared with the members of the press last week and is expected to be submitted to Parliament in the coming days. Under the heading “Obscene acts,” the draft introduces a so-called “Turkish-style ban on homosexual propaganda.” It stipulates prison sentences of up to three years for any behavior or attitude that is “contrary to…

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…

On 10 October 2025, the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro (SMCG) signed the Protocol on the Protection of Journalists with governments’ representatives (Supreme State Prosecutor, Ministers of Culture and Media, Justice, and the State Secretary at the Minister of Interior), media outlets/organisations and the Association of Local Public Broadcasters.  The Protocol aims to establish a comprehensive and coordinated institutional framework to ensure faster and more efficient responses to threats and attacks on journalists and media workers. The Mechanism will monitor and report incidents, provide legal and psychological assistance through a 24/7 contact line, and will provide mandatory training for…

Russian state-controlled news agency RIA Novosti reported on 16 October that war correspondent Ivan Zuev was killed by a drone attack in the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region, southeastern Ukraine. The International and the European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) call for an independent investigation to determine the circumstances of Zuev’s death and remind warring parties to respect their obligation to protect media workers as civilians. Yuri Voitkevich, who also worked for Russian RIA Novosti, was seriously injured in the same attack and underwent surgery, the employer said. The IFJ and the EFJ call for an independent investigation into the killing of RIA…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the undersigned journalists and media freedom organisations in strongly condemning the car bomb attack on one of Italy’s leading investigative journalist and his family, Sigfrido Ranucci. We welcome the opening of an investigation by the Anti-Mafia Investigation Division and call for an urgent assessment of the effectiveness of the protective measures applied to the journalist. On 16 October 2025, at around 10 p.m. a bomb consisting of 1kg explosive detonated near the car of Rai journalist Sigfrido Ranucci in Pomezia, near Rome. The bomb went off 20 minutes after Ranucci’s daughter parked the…

On the eve of the anniversary of the murder of Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins press freedom and journalists’ groups in calling on Malta to set up a national action plan on media freedom and journalist safety. Our organisations welcome the call by the Maltese authorities for public consultations on media freedom and are, in this paper, submitting a set of recommendations for consideration. The implementation of such recommendations would be an appropriate and meaningful way to continue to mark the life and legacy of Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed in a…

On 13 October 2025, Turkish journalist and environmental activist Hakan Tosun died from his injuries following a street assault by two individuals. The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) join their Turkish affiliates the Turkiye Gazeteciler Sendikasi (TGS), the Türkiye Gazeteciler Cemiyeti (TGC) and DİSK Basın-İş in urging authorities to investigate whether the assault is connected to his work as a documentary filmmaker. Hakan Tosun was found unconscious after being attacked as he walked through the streets of Istanbul’s Esenyurt district on 11 October. According to CCTV footage published by Turkish media, Tosun was struck on the head by two…

Against the backdrop of a rapidly worsening media freedom crisis across the region, most prominently in Serbia, a coalition of international media freedom, journalists’ and freedom of expression organisations calls on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to raise the threats to the protection of journalists and media pluralism with the respective authorities during her visit to the Western Balkans this week (13-16 October).   Since October last year, our organisations have recorded extraordinary pressures on media freedom across the region. The abrupt shutdown of Al Jazeera Balkans, the intensifying political pressure on the N1 and Nova TV channels and…

The Central Election Commission of Kosovo (KQZ) rejected accreditation requests from Serbian and Albanian-language media outlets, as well as international media, ahead of the 12 October local elections. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its members the Journalists’ Association of Serbia (UNS) and the Safe Journalists Network (SJN) in condemning a discriminatory decision that is violating media freedom and the right of citizens to receive information in an official language. According to information from the Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AGK), dozens of Serbian-language outlets registered and operating in Kosovo were refused accreditation at a KQZ session. In addition,…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its partners from the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and undersigned organisations in strongly condemning the intensifying crackdown on Georgian journalists and press freedom defenders who continue to face institutional repression and physical attacks. As the Georgian Dream (GD) regime’s Prime Minister explicitly promises to stifle dissent, we reiterate our urgent call for the EU and the international community to respond forcefully to the ruling party’s clampdown on media and civil society. Media freedom in Georgia remains dire and continues to deteriorate. At least 11 journalists from both independent and government-controlled media were…