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…

On 7 October 2025, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) met with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) at the EBU headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The two long-standing partners, committed to defending public service media across Europe,  discussed the need to strengthen their cooperation to address the unprecedented challenges facing public service media today. In a political environment marked by the growing presence of far-right parties in European governments, both organisations share deep concerns over increasing hostility towards public service media and journalism. Recognising the growing challenges faced by reporters covering conflicts, demonstrations and divisive topics such as politics, migration, climate,…

On 8 October 2025, Bulgaria’s parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee urgently approved, at first reading, amendments to the Criminal Code introduced by the “There Is Such a People” (ITN) party. The draft law proposes prison sentences and fines for the dissemination of information about a person’s “personal life” without their consent. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its Bulgarian affiliate AEJ-Bulgaria condemn this disproportionate restriction on journalists’ right to cover private matters that are in the public interest. We demand the outright withdrawal of these provisions, which contravene European legal standards. The proposal defines “personal life” broadly, covering personal, family,…

Today the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and The Self-Investigation release a new report entitled “Stronger Minds, Stronger Media: Why protecting journalists’ mental health is essential for journalism’s future”. This research collects good practice examples, provides recommendations to journalists’ representatives, media organisations and helpful resources. The issue of mental health has largely been ignored until recent years in the journalism sector, but more and more studies and evidence show that stress related to a highly competitive work environment, with 24h-news cycle, as well as low pay and job insecurity contribute to mental health problems. It leads to burnout, some leaving…