The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), along with 49 organisations working to support and develop democracy, welcomed the European Commission’s initiative to create a European Democracy Shield as a coordinated effort to support democracy in and around Europe. This initiative is particularly relevant in the current context of global democratic backsliding. With its focus on the information space, election integrity, and civic engagement, the European Democracy Shield  is a natural successor to the European Democracy Action Plan (EDAP). EDAP introduced key instruments like the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), the Anti-SLAPP Directive, a revamped Code of Practice on Disinformation, and…

From 31 March to 1 April 2025, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) will be hosting a workshop entitled “Online Harassment and Protection of Journalists” in Belgrade, Serbia, as part of the Stand up for Journalism (SUJ) project in partnership with the Independent Journalists Association of Serbia (IJAS). The workshop will focus on the growing issue of digital threats against journalists and explore strategies to strengthen their protection. It will feature insightful speakers from across Europe, including journalists, media professionals, and safety experts. This workshop is the third in a series of five thematic capacity-building workshops. The first workshop was…

Update (23/03/2025): On Tuesday afternoon, the Turkish courts ordered the arrest of seven of the journalists detained in recent days: Yasin Akgül (AFP), Ali Onur Tosun (Now TV News), Bülent Kılıç (freelance), Zeynep Kuray, Kurtuluş Arı (İBB), Hayri Tunç, Gökhan Kam. —————————– At least eleven journalists were detained in dawn raids in different cities by Turkish police on 24 March 2025. The European and International Federation of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) join their affiliates in Turkey, TGS, TGC, GCD and DİSK Basın-İş in calling for their immediate release and condemning a new crackdown on journalism. Journalists were detained at 6.00am during a…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the European Council of Literary Translators’ Associations (CEATL) and the European Writers’ Council (EWC) in expressing strong opposition to the third Draft of the EU’s Code of Practice for the AI Act’s implementation. On 21 March 2025, the three organisations representing European journalists, translators and writers sent a joint letter to Henna Virkkunen (Executive Vice-president of the European Commission for technological sovereignty, security and democracy) and the EU AI Board to denounce the Code’s orientation, considered as ‘simplified’, ‘toxic’ and ‘industry-friendly’. This letter follows on from another sent last February already criticising the…

At a time when the Turkish authorities have unleashed a new wave of repression, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its Turkish affiliates TGS, GCD and DİSK Basın-İş are demanding the immediate release of journalist Ismail Saymaz, who has been detained early Wednesday morning as part of an investigation led by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office into the Gezi Park protests. On Wednesday, Turkish police have arrested the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu (CHP), the primary challenger to the president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in dawn raids that also ensnared 100 politicians, business people and municipal officials accused of corruption…

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, in a recent speech, compared critics including journalists to insects that will be eliminated. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its affiliates in Hungary, HPU and MÚOSZ, in demanding an apology from Mr Orbán in the context of a new crackdown on journalists and journalism. On 15 March, during a political rally in Budapest, the Prime Minister accused journalists of serving the interests of foreign powers and compared them and other groups to insects who would soon be eradicated. He told several thousand supporters that in the coming weeks the government would “dismantle the financial machine…