Member states urged to implement EU recommendations on journalists’ safety

Author Moonshot.news

Published on: 17/09/2021

The European Commission has published its first-ever recommendation to protect journalists’ and other media professionals’ safety in the EU. However, associations are skeptical whether all Member States will implement the guidelines since they are non-binding, and stress the need to put in place a mechanism to thoroughly monitor their action towards this end.

Journalists have been facing an increasing number of attacks over the past years, including assassinations in the most tragic cases. The pandemic has made their work even more difficult, with lower incomes, especially for freelancers, and limited access to venues.

In an attempt to reverse this trend, the Commission has laid down actions for Member States to improve the safety of journalists – offline and online.

The non-binding recommendation incites Member States to:

• Investigate and prosecute all criminal acts committed against journalists whether offline or offline
• Initiate cooperation between law enforcement authorities, journalists and associations representing journalists
• Support the establishment of independent rapid response mechanisms to help journalists in need, such as legal advice, psychological support, shelters, emergency helplines
• Ensure access to information, press conferences and sources of information
• Promote trainings for law enforcement authorities, judges, prosecutors
• Ensure social protection against unemployment, sickness, disability, retirement and professional risks, including for self-employed journalists.

During a press conference, Vice-President of the European Commission Vera Jourova paid tribute to all the journalists attacked, and in particular to those who paid “the highest price”. She highlighted the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the worsening of journalists’ working conditions in the European Union, citing that 900 journalists and media workers were attacked in the European Union and candidate countries last year. 

“This must not continue, this must not be happening. No journalist should die or be harmed for doing their job. Today, we ask Member States to act and we put forward a series of measures they should take,” said Commissioner Jourova. She promised to engage with Member States individually as well as in the European Council.

Journalists’ associations call on monitoring of Member States

Both the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) have welcomed the new journalist safety guidelines, calling on EU member states to implement them as soon as possible. They also argue that the EU should get tough with problematic member states in order to become these guidelines a reality.

“The European Commission has taken an important step by making journalists’ safety a top priority. Now, EU states must take the initiative to make this recommendation a reality,” said Tom Gibson, CPJ’s EU representative. “Journalist safety is in jeopardy throughout Europe, and these guidelines provide a clear roadmap for leaders to protect the press. The European Commission should get tough with problematic member states, and use the Rule of Law Mechanism to make clear recommendations on what needs to be done at national level.”

The European Federation of Journalists also welcomed the recommendation as well as the Commission’s commitment to the safety of journalists. However, as this legislation is non-binding, the EFJ stressed the need “to swiftly put in place a mechanism to thoroughly monitor significant action of Member States towards this end”.