European Federation of Journalists

Media Freedom Rapid Response

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is a partner of Media Freedom Rapid Response project (MFRR) aiming to promote an independent, pluralistic media landscape, to safeguard media workers, especially harassed female media workers and to protect the rights of journalists. The RRM helps to mitigate the consequences of the recently observed deterioration of media freedom in several European Union, Member States and Candidate Countries.

Overall Objective

The overall objective of this project is to provide practical support for journalists to improve media freedom in Europe.

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) is designed to detect, answer and prevent violations of press and media freedom. It consists of three layers: monitoring, categorisation, responses.

Specific objectives

1. Mapping Media Freedom (MMF) in Europe (EU & Candidate Countries): Media violations are on the rise especially under the current coronavirus crisis. One of the key components of the project is to monitor and document a wide range of media violations conducted by any actors, whether individuals, state actors or business, so that actions can be taken rapidly to address the violations.

2. Practical supports: Based on the media violations reported, the project offers a wide range of immediate to long-term, practical support ranging from legal help, safety advice and training, safe house for journalists, advocacy and mission, and online resources. You could find more information about the legal support here and more details about safe house for journalists here.

3. Advocacy & Trial Monitoring: Joint media advocacy will also be carried out by the project including joint statements, national missions (in Czech Republic, Hungry, Spain, Serbia), roundtable advocacy meetings with EU policy-makers. The EFJ will involve the relevant national members when carrying out such national missions. Trial Monitoring especially for Turkey, Malta (for the case of Daphne Caruana Galizia) and Slovakia (for the case of Ján Kuciak) will be carried out and participated by the project partners to help find justice for journalists who are put in jails or murdered.

Anyone can submit and report a media violation to the MMF platform online.

Actions

Ukraine: Peace plan must ensure accountability for crimes against journalists

As negotiations continue over a peace plan to end the Russian war on Ukraine, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) join the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and partner organisations in strongly opposing any proposals on granting amnesty for potential war crimes committed in the course of Russia’s full-scale invasion, especially for those against journalists. Our organisations renew our demand that those responsible for the killing of at least 16 journalists, the serious injury of dozens more, as well as for other attacks on media infrastructure, are identified and held accountable…

Open letter: Bosnian public broadcaster BHRT in the final stage of collapse, EU must take swift action

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners in expressing, in an open letter to the European Commission, serious concerns regarding the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s state-level broadcaster, Radio-Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHRT). Our letter comes as BHRT staff today protest in front of Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina to raise alarm about the dire financial situation and call for institutional support and immediate action that will end years of disrespecting the Law. For years, BHRT has been facing serious financial challenges due to a deep institutional crisis and debts primarily incurred by…

Hungary: New EU Media Board should assess Blikk acquisition by pro-government media group

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today joins the undersigned Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners and Médiafórum in raising alarm about the recent acquisition of Hungary’s most-read tabloid newspaper by a pro-government media group and calls on the newly established European Board for Media Services to launch an assessment of the merger and its potentially negative impact on media pluralism in Hungary. Our organisations call on the European Board for Media Services (Media Board) – the independent EU advisory body established by the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) – to initiate an advisory opinion on the takeover, which we…

Serbia: Election of REM Council undermines democratic principles

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its partners from the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today in expressing renewed concern over the undemocratic process by which the National Assembly conducted the latest election for the Council of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM), Serbia’s key media regulator. After a delay of more than one year, the National Assembly last week appointed eight members to the REM Council, including four candidates seen by media experts as independent. However, it failed to approve the ninth appointee representing the country’s national minorities after the ruling majority abstained, drawing criticism of obstruction…

European Democracy Shield: Bolstering independent media at the core of democratic resilience

On 13 November 2025, the European Commission adopted its European Democracy Shield, the first comprehensive, flagship strategy for strengthening democratic resilience within the bloc, with a key focus on free and independent media, fighting disinformation and creating healthier information ecosystems to protect European values and security. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today joins the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners in welcoming the Shield which offers, in the face of rising digital manipulation, shrinking civic space and collapsing media business models, an important opportunity to ensure safety of journalists and media viability – but only if turned into concrete…

EU Enlargement Package: Assessments must now translate into meaningful media freedom action

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today joins the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in welcoming the publication of the 2025 EU Enlargement Package and highlights key media freedom developments and concerns that should shape negotiations with candidate countries moving forward. Our organisations welcome the sharpening of criticism of certain countries engaging in egregious media freedom violations by the Commission in this year’s report, particularly Serbia and Georgia, and stress that assessments for all countries must now translate into effective progress on media freedom, media pluralism and freedom of expression. The Enlargement Package recognises freedom of expression, media freedom, and…