Are you planning the next big move and in need of expert help? Whether it is about negotiating a new agreement, building recruitment and organising strategies to increase membership, or launching a campaign for journalists, the EFJ Expert Exchange Visit Programme can help you find the experts to share good practices among journalists’ organisations. As part of the EU-funded Trust and Quality in Journalism‘s project framework, EFJ members can request an expert from another affiliate for national training and coaching on union related subjects – collective bargaining, labour rights, authors’ rights, public broadcasting, recruitment and organising and more. The last…

By Tim Dawson Tim Dawson is a London-based journalist, and a member of the executive of the National Union of Journalists in the UK and Ireland. He traveled to Turkey from November 27-30 2019 to observe and monitor journalists trials as well as participate in an International Conference within the framework of the “Journalism is not a crime” EU-funded project implemented by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the Turkish Journalists Union (TGS). Eren Keskin is possibly the most striking defendant hauled before Istanbul’s criminal courts today. Dressed in black from head to…

Show your support to the charter and join the signatories! The EFJ Charter on Journalists Working Conditions is a guideline on working conditions, signed on 12 February 2019 in Belgrade (Serbia), by 14 journalists’ organisation representatives affiliated to the European Federation of Journalists and leading journalists’ unions from Western Balkans and Turkey. The Charter is open for signature to all journalists organisations, private or public media companies or authorities willing to commit to improve the working conditions and reinforce the labour rights of journalists and media workers in Europe, to fight against censorship and to promote free access to information and sources. The Charter contains 10…

Ahead of the European elections taking place from 23 to 26 May, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), has launched a Manifesto for the revival of a free and pluralistic media in Europe. Up to now, 118 candidates from ten countries showed their support for EFJ’s demands concerning the following eight topics: Media pluralism Financial sustainability & the future of journalism Investigative journalism Collective bargaining and social protection for all workers Trust and accountability through ethical journalism Authors’ rights – Fair contracts for all Strong independent public service media Safety at work: no to impunity Some parties endorsed the Manifesto…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) published on 8 May 2019 a magazine focusing on journalists’ working conditions in the Western Balkans and Turkey. The contributors are six students in journalism from the region, winner of the 2019 Journalism Students Award. The first edition was organised by the journalists’ unions and associations in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH Journalists), Kosovo (AGK), Montenegro (TUMM), North Macedonia (SSNM), Serbia (SINOS) and Turkey (TGS), in partnership with the EFJ. The objective was to involve the young generation in the debate on working conditions in countries where journalists often face precariousness, insecurity and lack of…

The European Parliament today adopted the Copyright Directive in the Digital Single Market by 348 votes in favor and 274 against. A call to open the text to amendments was lost by just 5 votes. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ) welcome the adoption of this long-awaited piece of legislation, which they have worked tirelessly to promote and improve. The newdirective includes key provisions for the publishing industry and authors, including journalists receiving a share of the revenue press publications generate online using their work, the principle of appropriate and proportionate remuneration for authors, key transparency obligations and…

The EFJ Charter on Journalists Working Conditions is a guideline on working conditions, signed on 12 February 2019 in Belgrade (Serbia), by 14 journalists’ organisation representatives affiliated to the European Federation of Journalists and leading journalists’ unions from Western Balkans and Turkey. The Charter is open for signature to all journalists organisations, private or public media companies or authorities willing to commit to improve the working conditions and reinforce the labour rights of journalists and media workers in Europe, to fight against censorship and to promote free access to information and sources. The Charter contains 10 articles condensing the main principles affecting the working relationship between journalists,…

The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ), the world and Europe’s largest journalists’ organisations, call on EU Institutions to reject provisions and proposals that aim to restrict or obliterate journalists’ remuneration, ahead of final negotiations on the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market (DSM). It is with great dismay and disbelief that the IFJ and the EFJ have read the EU Presidency’s latest proposals regarding journalists’ remuneration in the context of the draft legislation. While floating a possible compromise idea of an “appropriate and proportionate” remuneration for authors in Recital 39Y and presumably in Article -14, the…

In the frame of the EU tripartite negotiations on the Copyright Proposal, the IFJ and the EFJ call on EU institutions to stand up for journalism by safeguarding journalists’ fair and proportionate remuneration from the new neighboring right and strengthening the Proposal’s transparency provisions. Following the approval by the European Parliament on 12th September of the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market (DSM) – a major step forward in protecting authors’ rights- EU institutions, namely the Council, the Parliament and the Commission, have now entered into their final phase of negotiations through a trilogue that should last until…

The European Parliament today overwhelmingly approved the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market (DSM) – a major step forward in protecting authors’ rights. The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) warmly welcomed the vote which is crucial to ensuring that journalists can make a living from their work and remain independent in their reporting. Independent journalists are essential to the good functioning of democratic societies. Members of the European Parliament today voted in favour of the European Parliament’s legal affairs Committee (JURI) report on the Commission’s proposal for a directive on copyright in the digital single market with 438 for,…

The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ and IFJ) are calling on Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to secure journalists’ remuneration and the protection of their authors’ rights when they vote this Wednesday, 12th September at Plenary in Strasbourg on amendments that have been tabled to the draft EU copyright reform. The IFJ and EFJ are concerned about the rampant reproduction and making available of extracts or the entirety of journalists’ and other creators’ works online by third parties without authorisation or remuneration. The organisations support a neighboring right for publishers (article 11) that will include a fair…

Ahead of the copyright vote in European Parliament Plenary scheduled for 12 September, the EFJ (European Federation of Journalists), the IFJ (International Federation of Journalists), EMMA (European Magazine Media Association), ENPA (European Newspaper Publishers’ Association), EPC (European Publishers Council), NME (News Media Europe) – together representing the interests of tens of thousands of European news brands and journalists – jointly call on MEPs to maintain the wording on the publishers’ right (Article 11) as put forward by the Legal Affairs Committee. Article 11, as proposed by Legal Affairs Committee on 20 June, represent a major step in the debate: the…

The European Federation of Journalists  (EFJ) has criticised a new law passed on 3 July by the Russian State Duma’s information and communication committee to label individual journalists as “foreign agents”. Back in November 2017, the EFJ had heavily criticised Russia for adopting the so-called “foreign agent media law” allowing the authorities to label foreign media organisations as “foreign agents”. The new law goes even further. According to media reports, it will allow the authorities to label journalists and bloggers as “foreign agents”. In addition, it will also allow the authority to blocked websites or other media without a court ruling.…

The undersigned organisations represent photographers, photojournalists, journalists, painters, sculptors, designers, architects and street artists. Our organisations are deeply concerned that the statement of the General Advocate (GA) to the Court of Justice of the European Union, Mr Manuel Campos Sanchez-Bordona, dated 25 April 2018 and concerning the case C–161/17 – Land NRW vs Dirk Renckhoff could, if implemented, strongly damage authors’ position and the protection of their authors’ rights. We believe that the damage caused by the expropriation of authors require an immediate action by the European legislator. Our members are much concerned that the General Advocate’s interpretations of EU…

A report on “Gender Equality in the Media Sector in the EU”, passed by Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) during the plenary session in Strasbourg on 17 April 2018, calls on Member States and the European Commission to collaborate with journalists’ trade unions and media organisations to promote co-regulation in the media sector through codes of conduct. In order to safeguard and ensure gender equality, media companies are urged to draw up codes of conduct and self-regulation systems together with representatives from journalists’ trade unions. This aims to allow preventive action and impose sanctions regarding gender-based discrimination in media productions. The…

On behalf of the International and the European Federation of Journalists, we would like to raise our concerns over the ongoing EU debate on the neighbouring right. We are witnessing this debate with great concern. as the current Directive proposal on copyright in the digital single market seems to be evolving toward complete exclusion of journalists’ interests in the exercise of this right. Journalists enjoy authors’ rights protection over the work that they create. This means that they should receive remuneration for each exploitation of their work and benefit from full respect of their moral rights. How can journalists expect…