European Federation of Journalists

IMPACT

IMPACT – Independent Media Promoting Accountability, Community, and Trust in European Democracy

A vibrant civil society consists of informed citizens who know their rights within a system that upholds democratic values. Civil society organisations are central to enforcing and upholding EU fundamental rights and values. For a democratic political system to thrive, workers, journalists and human rights defenders must therefore benefit from stable working conditions. Workplaces grounded in democratic standards result in more equitable, innovative, job-rich societies.

The EFJ and its members strive to:

  • protect and strengthen the rights and freedoms of all journalists and journalists’ unions and associations in Europe;
  • promote and defend freedom of information, media freedom and pluralism and independence of journalism;
  • uphold and improve professionalism and to promote high standards of journalism, ethics of journalism, and journalistic education;
  • improve and defend the social and working conditions of all journalists, employed and freelance;
  • promote equality of sex, race, colour, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, association with a national minority, property, birth or other status, to exercise non-discrimination in its activities and to strive to achieve equality in representation within its statutory bodies;

This project aims to achieve these principles through advocacy, training, and support to our members.

To achieve the priorities and the objectives, the EFJ will carry out the following activities:

  1. Thematic EFJ Expert Groups meetings (promoting workers’ rights and gender equality and diversity)
  2. European capacity building/advocacy training on media freedom issues
  3. A financial scheme “National Capacity building Fund” for EFJ members

The project will run from 1 January to 31 December 2026 and is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the EFJ only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EACEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Actions

World Press Freedom Day: Protecting Public Service Media as critical infrastructure for democracy

Public Service Media (PSM) in Europe are under unprecedented attacks: from Finland to Italy, by way of France, Slovakia, Lithuania and Czech Republic – you name it. On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day (#WPFD2026), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) advocates for public service media as critical democratic infrastructure emphasising that their quality, independence, and robust funding are indispensable for fostering informed and pluralistic debates. It is a domino effect that has been unfolding before our eyes for several years now: European governments are trying to weaken, undermine or exert greater political control over public service media. Almost…

Hungary: EFJ calls on the new political leaders to restore media pluralism

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) commends the role of independent media in covering the 2026 Hungarian parliamentary election, against a backdrop of the outgoing government’s takeover of the media. We call on Péter Magyar, who is is expected to become the next Prime Minister, to consult without delay with our affiliates in Hungary, MUOSZ and HPU, academics and civil society, in order to initiate the reforms necessary to guarantee media pluralism and independence in Hungary, in accordance with European legal standards, in particular the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA). The Hungarian media landscape is characterised by the widespread takeover…

Romania: FAIR-MediaSind calls for infringement procedure against Romania due to EMFA violations

On 30 March 2026, the Federation of Culture and Mass-Media FAIR-MediaSind notified the European Commission and European Parliament of repeated violations of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) by the Romanian government. The European and the International Federation of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) fully support their affiliate’s request to initiate dialogue with Romanian authorities and assess the country’s compliance with the Regulation. Although the EMFA entered into force on 8 August 2025 and is directly applicable in all Member States, the government led by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan has failed to implement key provisions of the regulation establishing a common framework for…

Lithuania: Parliament pushes ahead with controversial LRT reforms despite Venice Commission concerns

On 12 March 2026, the new version of the law on the governance of Lithuania’s public broadcaster LRT will be put to a vote in Parliament, while the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe has just expressed its concern about the recent amendments. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its affiliate in Lithuania, the Association of Professional Journalists (ŽPA), in opposing the bill and calling on the authorities to abandon their plans to freeze the public broadcaster’s funding and change the procedure governing the dismissal of the Director General. The Venice Commission is an advisory body that provides…

EFJ welcomes European Parliament’s call for an EU regulatory framework that protects copyright in the age of AI

Today the European Parliament adopted the report on “copyright and generative artificial intelligence” drafted by MEP Axel Voss (by 460 votes to 71, 88 abstentions). The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomes this first step as a sign of political will to strengthen and make fairer the copyright framework protecting journalists from the unauthorised use of their work in AI training and content generation. Until now, AI companies have been relying on journalistic content without seeking consent, providing remuneration, or ensuring transparency about how such material is used. This practice not only undermines journalists’ intellectual property rights but also threatens…

Germany: drastic cost-cutting plan impacts international public broadcaster DW

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its German affiliates, dju in ver.di and DJV, in condemning the drastic reduction in programmes and staff at the international public broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW). These cost-cutting measures jeopardise access to free and pluralistic information for millions of citizens around the world. The reduction in DW’s broadcasting comes at a time when the United States has itself withdrawn its international broadcasting. Following the German federal government’s decision to cut DW’s funding by 10 million euros in 2026, the management of the international public broadcaster adopted on Wednesday a drastic cost-cutting plan of 21…