The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) held its Annual Meeting in Prishtina, Kosovo, on 23-24 May 2024. The event, which brought together around 100 journalists’ trade unions and professional associations from 45 European countries, was organised by the Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AGK). The theme of the annual meeting “Journalism in times of war” allowed major discussions on current challenges such as the safety and working conditions of journalists. #EFJPrishtina24: Throwback to the annual meeting in Prishtina. “Stand up for journalism as a public good” 🤝🏼 pic.twitter.com/PPErweXyRK — EFJ (@EFJEUROPE) May 28, 2024   “It is a historic milestone…

Speech by Maja Sever (EFJ President) on 23 May 2024. Dear colleagues, I am glad that we gathered here in Prishtina.  Thank you to our AGK for hosting us, and I believe that we will send a message about the importance of protecting the independent, professional, and safe work of the media community in this part of Europe as well. It’s been a difficult year. Times are tough and might get even tougher. But we’re all here because we refuse to give up. We believe in journalism and democracy, and we won’t back down from our fight. Our colleagues are…

A Greek media outlet based in one of Europe’s poorest regions has adapted its business model and editorial line to become more attractive to young and old alike. Xronos Media Group, which operates in the regional unit of Rhodopi (Eastern Macedonia and Thrace region), with a population of around 105,000, aims to promote the importance of local media in the daily lives of this declining and aging population, with the ambition of inspiring better informed and more active readers and citizens.  “We are happy to see how, in media with a long-standing tradition such as Xronos, both the ownership and…

The long-running financial dispute between the national public broadcaster (BHRT) and the Federation of Public Broadcasters of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FTV) is leading to an unprecedented media blackout of programs ordered by the BHRT board and dramatic working conditions for journalists and staff. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners, together with the Bosnia and Herzegovina Journalists’ Association (BHJA), in urging the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to find a sustainable solution to ensure that the Public Broadcasting Service of Bosnia and Herzegovina receives sufficient funding to operate normally and to safeguard citizens’…

On the 20th anniversary of the murder of Montenegrin journalist Duško Jovanović, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the SafeJournalists Network and partners in the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in calling for stronger action from the authorities. Journalists and media freedom organisations jointly condemn the two decades of impunity in the case of the murder of journalist Duško Jovanović and urge the Montenegrin authorities, both political representatives and relevant bodies, to take all necessary measures to identify and bring the perpetrators and masterminds to justice. Duško Jovanović was the founder, director, and chief editor of the daily newspaper…

The editorial office of the weekly magazine Nacional received death threats in an SMS message on Monday, 20 May 2024. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the SafeJournalists Network and the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners in calling on the relevant institutions in Croatia to immediately respond, find, and prosecute the perpetrator. The message sent to Nacional’s official phone contained the following text: “You and those like you carried out the attempted assassination of Prime Minister Fico by writing half-truths, lies, and inciting against people who are doing their jobs just to make money. Your triple informant paid…

On 20 May 2024, state media informed that an apartment belonging to journalist Dzmitry Kazakevich will be confiscated and sold as “sanctions compensation”. On 16 May 2024, law enforcement authorities invaded the home of the Belarus Journalists’ Association (BAJ) deputy chairperson, Barys Haretski, in Minsk. The International and the European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) join their affiliate, BAJ, in condemning the latest repressive moves by the Lukashenko regime and calling on the authorities to halt the systematic harassment of exiled journalists. In a week’s time, the Belarusian authorities searched the homes of two exiled journalists. On 20 May, a TV…

Amid the forthcoming EU elections, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) was prompted to organise an urgent advocacy mission to Italy on May 16-17 to address some recent developments related to press and media freedom. Such concerns included unprecedented political interference in the public service media, legal harassment of dissenting journalists by government members, and the potential acquisition of AGI news agency by MP Antonio Angelucci. Italy’s current state of media freedom raises significant concerns. The worrying trend of political interference and legal harassment undermines democratic principles and threatens the independence and pluralism essential for a free press. During its visit to Rome,…

The new coalition agreement, made public on 16 May 2024, led by the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), includes an increase in value-added tax (VAT) for print and online media from 9% to 21%. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), joined its affiliate, the Dutch Association of Journalists (NVJ), in denouncing a “poison pill” that will put the media market under pressure and severely impact media pluralism in the country. This measure is part of a broader reform of the Dutch public broadcaster, Nederlandse Publieke Omroep (NPO), which includes a structural transfer of 100 million euros starting in 2026.  More…

UNESCO published a report entitled “Press and planet in danger”, showcasing the trends and challenges of the safety of environmental journalists. It shows a spike in attacks over the last five years (2019-2023) with a 42% increase compared to the 2014-2018 period, making the situation more serious than ever.  The report examines attacks against journalists covering environmental issues over the past fifteen years. The report’s findings are based on the collection of data from 2009 to 2023 and on a survey conducted in March 2024 on 905 respondents in 123 countries with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). The report…

BiH: Authorities must urgently break the deadlock facing public broadcasters and solve the financial problems Following the temporary interruption of the TV and radio programs of the RTV Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina on 8 May 2024, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners denounce the irresponsible political management that created the crisis and led to direct violation of citizens’ right to freedom of information. The long-standing financial dispute between the national public broadcaster (BHRT) and the federal public channel of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FTV), two of the three public service media in the country, led to an unprecedented media…

On 17 May, the European trade union movement, including the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), celebrates the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT). On this day, we remind ourselves and European policymakers that LGBTI+ rights are fundamental human and trade union rights. We praise the progress made during recent decades to advance the rights of LGBTI+ workers at the workplace through collective bargaining and beyond, such as the right to family lives through equal rights for same-sex couples. However, these achievements are now put in question or even pushed back by right-wing and populist movements across Europe. This…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) will hold its annual meeting in Prishtina, Kosovo. Around 100 journalists and trade union representatives from 45 European countries are expected to meet on 23-24 May 2024. Prishtina was chosen as the host city of the upcoming congress of the EFJ, representing 320,000 journalists in Europe. Co-organised by the Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AGK), the assembly will be held in Modelarium, University of Prishtina. “It is a historic milestone for Kosovo to host this important annual event. It comes at a time when the media freedom index in the country has fallen significantly,…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners in highlighting ongoing press freedom concerns in Ukraine, over two years following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. While Ukraine was at first quick to unite in the face of armed aggression, setting aside internal conflicts and arguments, the climate of trust between officials and independent media seems to have seriously deteriorated, two years on. Repeated surveillance of journalists In comparison to neighbouring Russia and Belarus, Ukraine has long been a haven for independent media, offering local journalists the opportunity to criticise power without fear of…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) radically disputes the conclusions of a study commissioned by the European Commission to assess the implementation of the EU Recommendation on the protection, safety and empowerment of journalists. The report points to supposed progress that in fact remains marginal, if not ineffective. On 3 May, the European Commission published the study carried out by Intellera Consulting, Open Evidence and PwC assessing the efforts made by EU Member States since the publication in 2021 of the highly relevant EU Recommendation on the Safety of Journalists. According to the EU press release, “EU countries show progress…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today joined press freedom, journalists and human rights organisations in writing to Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, urging him to withdraw the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence, guarantee the safety of journalists and uphold press freedom in Georgia. Dear Prime Minister Kobakhidze, We, the undersigned international press freedom, journalists and human rights organizations, are writing to express our deep alarm about the reintroduction of the bill on Transparency of Foreign Influence and the sudden rise in violence and other restrictions against Georgia’s journalists reporting on the public protests against the Bill. We…