By Valeriia Muskharina (Information Service of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine) This winter in Ukraine has become another severe test. Large-scale Russian attacks targeting energy infrastructure have caused constant power outages and heating disruptions, while temperatures have dropped to −25 °C. These conditions have made everyday life extremely difficult and forced people to find ways to stay warm and meet basic needs. For journalists in Kyiv, such realities create additional obstacles while working outdoors, preparing materials, and maintaining communication. Routine tasks such as charging equipment or filming a story have turned into tests of endurance. To help journalists…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners in strongly condemning the proposals of the Georgian Dream (GD) ruling party to implement a series of legislative amendments that would impose additional restrictions and penalties on recipients of grants and foreign funding. If implemented, our organisations warn the amendments would strengthen an already restrictive web of legislation targeting financial support to media and civil society and could eliminate the ability of Georgian journalists and media outlets to receive any form of independent funding. The proposed changes were announced on January 28 by Georgian Dream’s parliamentary…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) attended the kick-off meeting organised by Civitates on the Multiannual-Financial Framework (MFF), along with the Centre for Sustainable Media (CSM), Civil Society Europe (CSE), Culture Action Europe (CAE), Europe Civic Forum (ECF), and Irish Council of Civil Liberties. The meeting marked the starting point of a year-long project called “Future of Europe” to support the journalism, culture, and civic space strands within the upcoming negotiations on the EU’s long-term budget. The proposed EU budget for 2028 – 2034 introduces a new programme “AgoraEU” which will include a Culture, Media (divided into Audiovisual and News),…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the International Press Institute (IPI) and media freedom partners in providing a formal contribution to the public consultation into the draft act to amend the Polish Broadcasting and Television Act – a major and much needed overhaul of the country’s media legislation. The draft reform, published by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, also represents a core element of the implementation of the EU’s European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) in Poland. The public consultation closed on January 23. The submission was made by IPI along with the European Centre for Press and…

Turkey’s press freedom is facing worsening crackdowns as 2026 is setting in motion. Journalists and media workers are subjected to arbitrary arrests, forced detentions, criminal prosecutions, prolonged pre-trial detentions, judicial harassment and other forms of repression that seriously undermine press freedom and the public’s right to information. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) strongly condemn these ongoing attacks on press freedom and call for the immediate release of all journalists who are detained or jailed. Turkish authorities have detained several journalists across the country while they were covering pro-Kurdish protests, which erupted after fighting resumed between Kurdish forces…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today joined media freedom and journalist groups in stressing that recent amendments to Albania’s Criminal Code, though positive, must be strengthened to ensure full decriminalisation of defamation. The amendments to Albania’s Criminal Code approved on 21 January 2026 by the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs and Public Administration, which if passed into law, would represent important steps forward in improving the climate for media freedom, journalists’ safety and freedom of expression. These amendments reflect a clear political intent to move away from the criminalisation of defamation as part of the European accession process, acknowledging…

Last week, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), together with Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partner organisations, submitted contributions to the EU’s annual Rule of Law report for 2026, identifying key developments for media freedom and pluralism and outlining recommendations for reform. MFRR organisations provided submissions on 15 EU Member States and candidate countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia and Spain. Submissions on media freedom and pluralism provided updates about implementation and lack thereof of recommendations from the 2025 Rule of Law report, new legislative or regulatory developments, as well as…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners in welcoming the European Commission’s EU Democracy Shield initiative and the European Parliament’s Special Committee’s Rapporteur’s draft report published on 21 January. While the Shield lays out critical political priorities and policy measures to defend democracy, these require further operationalisation. We reiterate our calls for a comprehensive action plan that elaborates on the concrete implementation and timeline for these commitments. The MFRR partners share this more detailed response that aims to translate the political commitments of the Democracy Shield into concrete actions that can feed into the Parliamentary Debate on…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the undersigned international media freedom and journalist organisations in welcoming the confirmation of guilty verdicts handed to Robert Agius and Jamie Vella, the two men who supplied the bomb used to assassinate journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017. On 21 January, the two gang members lost their attempt at the court of appeal to overturn their convictions. Both men are serving life imprisonment after being found guilty in June 2025 of procuring the military grade explosives and providing them to the hitmen who executed the murder of the journalist. The pair unsuccessfully argued their convictions…

The Steering Committee of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) wishes to express its full support for our colleagues in Greenland. Your work is crucial to maintaining a free and independent media landscape and to countering rising disinformation. We recognise the particular challenges you are facing at this time. We stand with you in defending press freedom, editorial independence and the right of journalists to work without pressure or interference. We, journalists from Europe, will overcome tough times together, drawing strength from our solidarity. You can count on our full support.

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), together with its Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners, has voiced serious concern today in a public letter to the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt, over the lack of political action on the future of the state broadcaster, Radio-Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHRT). We called on him to use his legal authority to secure a viable solution amid the continued absence of institutional response and political will within Bosnia and Herzegovina’s institutions.

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has launched a National Capacity-Building Fund aiming to improve the capacity of national journalists’ organisations to protect and promote rights and EU values in the field of media freedom and media workers’ rights. The initiative also aims to create a more supportive environment for civil society organisations and human rights defenders working to support journalists, with activities at both local and national levels.  This call for proposals is launched in the context of an EU-funded Project “IMPACT, Independent Media Promoting Accountability, Community, and Trust in European Democracy”. Only journalists’ organisations who are EFJ members…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) participated to the public consultation launched by the European Commission on the evaluation of the 2009 Broadcasting Communication (BComm), which provides guidance on how public service broadcasting may receive state funding. The EFJ and its affiliates strongly believe that public service media (PSM) play an increasingly important role in today’s fragile information ecosystem, which is dominated by a handful of private digital platforms. It is therefore essential that PSM are able to operate under conditions of financial viability, full transparency and political independence. According to the EFJ, the BComm has been and remains a…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is delighted to co-organise, once again this year, the third edition of Voices, the European Festival of Journalism and Media Freedom. (In case you missed it, the festival will return to Florence from 10 to 12 March 2026!) And with it comes the third round of the Voices Awards, now with more prizes! We are awarding 25 prizes for 1,200€ each to journalists and media freedom advocates to participate in Voices 2026. The Voices Awards are a competition that celebrates the talent and dedication of professionals who uphold media freedom. The competition features seven distinct categories for a total…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) strongly calls for release of imprisoned journalists in Europe. Following the reports from the EFJ national affiliates, 149 journalists will spend New Year’s Eve in prison in Europe: 56 in Russia and occupied Ukraine; 37 in Azerbaijan; 28 in Belarus; 25 in Turkey; 2 in Armenia; 1 in Georgia. Read the full list, here. 2025 was a disastrous year for journalists in Europe. Ten of them were killed in the exercise of their profession on the European continent, mainly in Ukraine. That’s more than in Africa (9 killed). More than on the American continent…

A leading Bulgarian private TV channel, bTV, on Monday said it was firing a prominent political talk show host, Maria Tsantsarova, sparking protests. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its Bulgarian affiliate AEJ-Bulgaria in denouncing this act of censorship, and demands the immediate reinstatement of the journalist and the opening of an investigation into the alleged political pressure exerted on bTV. Tsantsarova, known for her tough questioning and high-profile investigations, confirmed on Monday in a Facebook post that she had been removed from the programme, contradicting a statement issued by bTV on Friday. The broadcaster denied any allegations regarding…