Between 13 and 17 October 2022, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) will join international press freedom mission in Malta, five years after the assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia on 16 October 2017. The country visit follows up on similar missions held in previous years. Representatives of ARTICLE 19 Europe, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), the International Press Institute (IPI), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) as well as the EFJ have requested a meeting with the Prime Minister of Malta Robert Abela and relevant ministers in an attempt to…

Today marks four years since the brutal murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in a car bomb attack in Malta that shook the world. Our thoughts are with Caruana Galizia’s family, friends, colleagues, and others still fighting for justice. It is deeply unsettling to reiterate, four years on, our call for justice for this heinous attack as impunity continues to fester. While modest progress has been made in some areas, full accountability for Caruana Galizia’s murder remains elusive. The fight against impunity only ends when all those responsible have been prosecuted to the full extent of the law: assassins,…

A resolution on the protection of investigative journalists in Europe, passed by Members of the European Parliament (MEPs)  on 19 April 2018 during the plenary session in Strasbourg, calls for better protection of investigative journalists and whistle-blowers. In the wake of the murders of investigative journalists Daphne Caruana Galizia and Ján Kuciak, MEPs demand better protection of journalists who are regularly subject to lawsuits intended to censor their work a permanent financial EU scheme to support independent investigative journalism a draft EU directive to protect whistle-blowers the Commission to address challenges to media freedom and pluralism in the EU better monitoring of media…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) co-signed an open letter by seven international freedom of expression organisations on 23 March 2018, urging diplomats in Malta to make their presence felt concerning the investigation of the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder. “Your engagement in this case is setting a standard and precedent for what is permissible in the European Union”: We, the undersigning international organisations are closely monitoring the investigation of the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and the related court proceedings in Malta. Daphne Caruana Galizia was a journalist, a blogger, a mother of three. For years, she reported…

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) coalition welcomes the publication of the 2024 European Commission’s rule of law report. Despite progress made in some areas, the report shows that press freedom remains under threat in Europe. We urge Member States and the European Union to intensify their efforts to uphold media freedom and reinforce their roles in safeguarding this pillar of democracy. The release of the fifth annual rule of law report, the last one during the Commission’s current term, provides a critical opportunity to evaluate press freedom and democratic governance across EU Member States.  We warmly welcome the fact…

The European Parliament today adopted with an overwhelming majority (546 in favour, 47 against, 31 abstentions) the Anti-SLAPP Directive, intended to protect journalists and media outlets from abusive litigations. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the organisations of the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) in welcoming an important step in the fight against SLAPPs, but regrets the considerable room for manoeuvre left to the Member States on several crucial points. “Some refer to this law as Daphne’s law (Daphne Caruana Galizia) and I think it’s important to mention it here in this room named after Daphne. We achieved…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today joined 17 other media freedom and journalist organisations in writing to the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, the High Representative for the European Union on Foreign and Security Policy, urging him to call for the protection of journalists and respect for the freedom of the press amidst the Israel-Gaza war. The letter outlines the unprecedented number of journalists who died: the Israel-Gaza war one of the single worst events for the loss of journalistic life in such a short space of time. Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, the International Federation…

The European Union is set to miss a critical opportunity to demonstrate that it is on the side of those who hold power to account. The trilogue negotiations concerning the Directive expected to fight Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) are coming to a close and the 74 undersigned organisations are sounding the alarm that, in the absence of certain key provisions, the anti-SLAPP Directive will fail to counteract the growing problem of SLAPPs in the EU. These provisions include first and foremost a strong early dismissal mechanism for all SLAPPs. If the Directive fails to ensure that all claims…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today joins the undersigned media freedom and journalist groups in expressing dismay at the decision of Romania’s Prosecutor Office at the Bucharest Court of Appeal to close the investigation into the smear campaign against journalist Emilia Șercan. To do so, the Prosecutor made the extraordinary ruling that ‘the offences’ – including the publication of stolen private photos and the presumed disclosure of evidence held by the police – ‘were not provided for by the criminal law’. This decision comes twenty months after Șercan first filed a complaint to the police about stolen personal photos…

Access to reliable information that journalists provide civil society is the lifeblood of a resilient democracy, where a robust system of checks and balances thrives. Impunity for the killings of journalists diminishes the rule of law and press freedom. As today we mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, we want to pay a special tribute to those reporters in Europe whose families still await justice for their murders. They were threatened, targeted and murdered for challenging the powerful and corrupt. We call on the states to redouble their political will to tackle impunity. When Greek…

While the number of journalists killed has fallen sharply in Europe compared to last year, the number of cases of impunity for murder continues to rise. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) currently counts 48 unpunished crimes in 13 countries. To mark International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists on November 2, 2023, the EFJ calls states to take concrete action to end impunity for these crimes. 48 murders and assassinations of journalists go unpunished in Europe: 16 in Kosovo, 7 in Russia, 6 in Ukraine, 6 in Turkey, 3 in Serbia, 2 in Greece, 2 in Azerbaijan, 1…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins international media freedom, free expression, and journalist organisations in expressing shock over criminal conviction of the Italian writer and journalist. The undersigned international media freedom, free expression, and journalist organisations express shock over yesterday’s criminal conviction of writer and journalist Roberto Saviano, in a case brought by current Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, and we convey our full solidarity with him. On 12 October 2023, the Criminal Court of Rome convicted Saviano of criminal defamation. The case was initiated by Meloni in November 2021, prior to her assuming the current role of Prime Minister.…

The undersigned international media freedom and journalists’ organisations, including the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), today call on the government of Malta to publish without further delay the report by the Committee of Experts on Media, the body tasked with advising the Government on implementing the recommendations of the Public Inquiry into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia. We also urge the government to launch a broad public consultation process on the draft legislation it intends to propose before presenting this legislation in parliament. It is of concern that despite having received the Committee’s report on 24 July 2023 the…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the undersigned journalists, press freedom organisations, and unions, in denouncing the war crimes committed by the Russian Federation against journalists in Ukraine and calling for immediate action to hold the perpetrators accountable. Deliberately targeting journalists, shelling their facilities, and engaging in arbitrary detentions and torture clearly violate international humanitarian law and press freedom. We urge authorities to take decisive steps to address these grave violations and provide increased support for front-line reporters.  We are alarmed at the continued targeting of media workers in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The recent missile attack in Pokrovsk is…

Malta is the country with the highest number of Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) per capita in the European Union. Troubling statistics combined with the ongoing quest for full justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia should prompt Malta to demonstrate a special commitment to enacting comprehensive legislation to protect public watchdogs from abusive lawsuits and set an example for other countries. Article 19 Europe, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and Reporters without Borders (RSF) have commented on the updated proposals relating to SLAPPs made…

Update (12/10/2023): On 12 October 2023, the Court of Rome sentenced Roberto Saviano to a fine of 1,000 euros for defamation. The EFJ condemns this judgement, pointing out that freedom of expression, as defined by the European Court of Human Rights, also applies to statements that offend, shock or disturb. The EFJ calls on Italian authorities to decriminalise defamation and to establish reasonable limits on damages within civil law to protect media freedom, freedom of expression, and the public’s right to know. —— The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the undersigned international media freedom and journalists’ organisations and stands…