On Thursday 28 April, a press briefing was organised to present the Proposal for a Directive on strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP) at the presence of Vice-President of the European Commission for Values and Transparency, Vera Jourova and the representatives of the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE). The proposal, first of its kind announced on 27 April, is meant to tackle the growing problem of abusive litigation targeting journalists, activists and other public watchdogs across Europe. Commenting on the need of the directive Vera Jourova, Vice-President of the European Commission for Values and Transparency said: “It is a David…

The European Commission today published two texts aimed at curbing the rise of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) in Europe. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the partners of the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) in welcoming a landmark step in the right direction. The EFJ urges the Member States to implement the recommendation without delay. As part of the European Democracy Action Plan, the European Commission presented on 27 April 2022 a package including a proposal for a directive (binding) and a recommendation (non-binding) to the Member States to urge them to take action against the…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its affiliates in Ukraine, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) and the Independent Media Trade Union of Ukraine (IMTUU), joined the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) to support Ukrainian journalists and all international journalists, including freelancers reporting from Ukraine, by signing the Perugia Declaration for Ukraine: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has underlined once again the essential role of independent, ethical journalism in assisting citizens to make life-or-death decisions, informing the world, and holding the powerful to account. As a powerful antidote to disinformation and propaganda that characterise hybrid warfare, and…

The Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) has launched a new report entitled “Shutting out criticism: How SLAPPs threaten European democracy”   based on data collected about 570 abusive lawsuits in 29 countries over the last 10 years. The first-ever comprehensive study aims to identify the scale, nature, and impact of SLAPPs in Europe. Initiated by wealthy and powerful litigants, Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) is an abusive legal system attempting to intimidate and silence public watchdogs through lengthy and expensive litigation that drains a target’s resources and chills critical voices. This form of legal harassment is one of the…

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) invites you to a summit taking place between 22-24 March focusing on boosting media freedom, strengthening independent media and ensuring the safety of journalists in Europe. The Summit panels will all be streamed online on the MFRR YouTube channel, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Specialised workshops for journalists, media professionals, journalist association representatives, and journalism students will take place on Zoom. Registration for the workshops is required. The MFRR Summit 2022 will open with a video message by Věra Jourová, Vice President of the European Commission for Values and Transparency, followed by a keynote address by Roberto Saviano, an Italian journalist and…

Press freedom groups raise concern over unprecedented FOI obstructions The undersigned international media freedom organisations today express growing concern over the challenges that media outlets in Malta face in accessing public information through the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act. The unprecedented appeals by some 30 government ministries and entities against a decision by the Information and Data Protection Commissioner which ordered the disclosure of information on public expenditure requested by The Shift News are emblematic of these challenges. The appeals stem from FOI requests that The Shift’s editor sent to various public bodies which sought documents about possible contracts and…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in writing to Director Raimondas Andrijauskas and Deputy Director Danguolė Morkūnienė of the Lithuanian State Data Protection Inspectorate (SDPI) to express concern regarding their attempted obstruction of the investigative project “Karštos Pėdos” (“Hot Feet”)’s journalistic activity. 27 January 2022 Dear Director Andrijauskas, Dear Deputy Director Morkūnienė, We, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and partner organisations, are writing to denounce the administrative harassment of “Karštos Pėdos” (“Hot Feet”). We call on the State Data Protection Inspectorate (SDPI) to stop pressuring and obstructing the journalistic…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today joined international media freedom and freedom of expression organisations in registering concern over the serious criminal charges levelled against two investigative journalists in Greece linked to their reporting on a major corruption scandal. Our organisations are following these two legal cases with utmost scrutiny given the obvious concerns they raise with regard to press freedom. Authorities must issue guarantees that the process is demonstrably independent and free of any political interference. On January 19, Kostas Vaxevanis, a veteran investigative journalist and publisher of the newspaper Documento, testified at the Special High Court on…

Balkan Insights – Greece’s Ban on COVID ‘Fake News’ Sets Worrying Precedent (24.12.2021) Público – Amenazas de muerte y persecuciones judiciales: los principales problemas que sufren los periodistas en España (14.12.2021) Columbia Journalism Review – European regulation of online disinformation may be a “game changer” in 2022 (08.12.2021) The Shift – Court records law under spotlight of seven international press freedom NGOs (08.12.2021) The Malta Independent – International organisations send letter to PM over court judgement erasure Legal Notice (08.12.2021) Malta Today – Repeal court judgment deletion notice, international press groups urge PM (07.12.2021) EBU – Interview with Monika Garbaciauskaite-Budriene,…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) co-signed with nine other organisations an appeal to the Maltese government to strengthen media freedom and the rule of law in Malta, following the appointment of a Committee of Experts to make recommendations to the authorities. The EFJ welcomes the inclusion of its Maltese affiliate, the Institute of Maltese Journalists (IGM), in the Committee. The EFJ and the nine co-signatory organisations will closely follow the work of the Committee and the implementation of its recommendations. Our organisations note Prime Minister Abela’s announcement that a Committee of Experts has been appointed to implement the recommendations of the…

Update: On 27 December 2021, President Andrzej Duda vetoed the bill. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined 17 media freedom and journalists’ organisations in writing the following letter to the Polish president, urging to apply a presidential veto to the lex TVN. Dear Andrzej Duda, President of the Republic of Poland, The undersigned international media freedom and journalists groups are writing to urge you to apply a presidential veto to the so-called “Lex-TVN” amendment passed by the Sejm on December 17, which we believe poses a fundamental threat to media freedom and pluralism in Poland. This bill represents a…

“Implementing the recommendations of the public inquiry report which found that the state must bear responsibility for Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination should be a top priority for the government”, said today the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, following a visit to Malta from 11 to 16 October. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), which also participated in a joint mission to Malta from 13 to 17 October, strongly supports the call by Dunja Mijatović. “The authorities should swiftly start putting in place the far-reaching reforms needed to ensure journalists’ safety and address mistrust in the media…

On the eve of the fourth anniversary of the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, our five organisations have undertaken a joint press freedom mission to Malta, in follow-up to our initial joint mission at the one-year mark in 2018. We have come together once again to mark the occasion and remember Caruana Galizia’s life, work and courage, and to raise our concerns on the case and the broader press freedom climate in the country directly with the Maltese authorities. Representatives of ARTICLE 19, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), the…

Between 14 and 16 October, the General Secretary of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) as well as representatives of the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), ARTICLE 19, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) will visit Malta to meet with members of the Maltese Government, civil society representatives, journalists, and other key stakeholders. The mission takes place four years after the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, on 16 October 2017. Despite modest progress in some areas, the ongoing impunity for the brutal murder and broader systemic failings continue to negatively impact Malta’s press…

The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen gave the annual address on the State of the Union in front of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) on 15 September. In her speech, she stressed the need to better protect journalists, media outlets’ independence and the public right to information. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomed a strong statement in favour of media freedom and demanded concrete binding initiatives for EU member states to make these words a reality. President Ursula von der Leyen gave a long speech outlining her vision for the future of Europe and…

More than 250 days have now passed since the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) last received state funding for carrying out its public service mission from the government of Janez Janša, which currently presides over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Since the beginning of the year, the STA has been forced to operate without public funds guaranteed to it under two separate laws while a contractual dispute manufactured by the Government Communication Office (UKOM) is played out with the aim of forcing the agency to submit to greater government control. As the Slovenian government took over the…