EFJ Director Renate Schroeder was invited by the European Free Alliance/The Greens to a panel discussion about “Press Freedom-keeping Journalists safe” yesterday in the European Parliament. She informed the meeting about the different activities the EFJ is involved when it comes to mapping media freedom, the Council of Europe Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists and pledged the EP to stand up for journalist’ rights, media freedom and democracy, which at the moment is too often compromised by geopolitical interest. Sasa Lekovic, President of EFJ affiliate, the Croatian Journalists’ Association, and co-author presented the SEEMO…

On November 11, the Budapest Centre for the International Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities hosted a round-table on the role of journalists in preventing genocide and countering extremism at the Hungarian Institute of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The opening panel featured the keynote speech of András Trom, Head of Section of Foreign and Security Policy of the Association of Hungarian Journalists (MUOSZ), an EFJ affiliate. The Budapest Centre noted that “Trom pointed out the key role that journalists have in society, insofar as they are charged with reporting on events and thus mediating people’s understanding of reality. In this sense, the quality…

Greek media will strike will hold a 24-hour strike starting from 6:00 am on Thursday until 6:00 am on Friday, following the general strike that has been scheduled by the country’s public and private sector unions, including the Panhellenic Federation of Journalists’ Unions (an EFJ affiliate), for Thursday 12 November. The strike for journalists covers all print media (newspapers and magazines), public broadcaster ERT and all private TV, radio and internet media, Athens-Macedonian News Agency, Secretariat General of Information and Communication and all Press Offices. The Journalists’ Union of the Athens Daily Newspapers (JUADN-ESIEA), also member of the EFJ, has called on its…

The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) and their affiliate the Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS) reviewed the implications for journalists and trade union rights following the victory of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the re-run of Turkey’s national elections this weekend, during a Press briefing at the Brussels Press Club, 5 November 2015. Anthony Bellanger IFJ General Secretary said that : “Before Sunday’s elections, to be a journalist in Turkey wasn’t easy but now it will be even more difficult. Turkey was the biggest prison for journalists in Europe with around 20 journalists still held in prisons…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has expressed extreme concerns over recent ”witch hunt” and attacks on journalists who cover the refugees and migrants crisis. Since last Friday 30 October, two journalists were attacked during the anti-migrants protest called “Pegida demonstrations” launched by the German far-right groups in Berlin. Mogens Blicher Bjerregård, the EFJ President said, “the witch hunt on journalists covering the crisis is worrying. Journalists shall not become the target for telling the truth.” Helmut Schümann, a journalist working for the daily Tagesspiegel in Berlin was one of the journalists who were attacked. According to Schümann, he was tracked down by far-right…

The European Federations of Journalists (EFJ) and its members from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey (in picture) spoke out against media violations in their countries and call for more actions in a conference held on 4 November in Brussels by the European Commission (DG NEAR) to highlight the media freedom situation and progress made in Western Balkans and Turkey. A high-level meeting, the “Speak Up conference on Freedom of Expression and Media in the Western Balkans and Turkey” was kicked off by the European Commissioner in charge of European Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations, Mr Johannes Hahn. Unfortunately, hardly any progress is echoed by…