The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) extend their condolences to the family and relatives of French photojournalist Antoni Lallican, who was killed by a drone on Friday 3 October in Ukraine. The EFJ and IFJ condemn this war crime and calls on the authorities to launch an investigation to identify those responsible. This is the first time a journalist has been killed by a drone in Ukraine. The circumstances surrounding the incident, which occurred on Friday morning at 9:20 local time, near the eastern city of Druzhkivka, in the Donetsk region, remain under investigation. According to the Ukrainian Ground…

On 30 September 2025, at least four Serbian journalists were targeted with anonymous printed leaflets, which were distributed to private mailboxes and public spaces in Belgrade and other cities. The scale of this coordinated smear campaign is suspected to be significant, given the increasing number of cases being reported throughout the country. The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) and their Serbian affiliates (GS KUM Nezavisnost, NUNS, UNS, and SINOS) urge the authorities to conduct immediate and thorough investigations into these threats, to identify, apprehend, and sanction the perpetrators. The printed leaflets describe each journalist as having ‘bloody hands’,…

On 30 September, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and 15 partner organizations wrote to leaders in Germany, Italy, and the Czech Republic to call for a full or partial suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. The agreement sets out the EU’s legal and institutional framework for political dialogue and economic cooperation with Israel. The European Commission recently proposed suspending “certain trade-related provisions” because of “a breach of essential elements relating to [the] respect for human rights and democratic principles.” Now EU member states must decide whether to go ahead. However, some EU member…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) publishes its position paper on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the future of journalism in Europe, after it was adopted by the EFJ Steering Committee in Brussels, on 30 September.  The spread of AI profoundly affects reporting practices that had been used in newsrooms until now. AI is able to assist journalists’ work in helping with translation and fact-checking. But it can also be used maliciously to generate misinformation, or give preference to a small number of media sources in its training and output, thus harming media pluralism and information integrity. AI in journalism must…

Following a three-day mission to Sofia between 24-26 September, a coalition of international journalists and press freedom organisations, including the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), concluded that progress is needed to prevent and prosecute attacks on journalists, resolve the ongoing dispute over the leadership of the public broadcaster, guarantee the independence of the Council for Electronic Media (CEM) and pass anti-SLAPP legislation. Despite the important work of key journalist associations, there is a low level of solidarity within the journalistic profession. The mission, organised by the Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform and the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) also found that Bulgaria…

At least six journalists have been injured since early September while covering the protests against the 2026 national budget plan. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners condemn the deliberate violence by law enforcement officers and call once again on the French authorities to protect and recognise the work of journalists as essential during protests. On 18 September 2025, a journalist from the public television channel France 2 was hospitalised in Lyon after being injured while covering the second day of the “Bloquons tout” (Block Everything) protests against the French government. The journalist…