Actions needed for European media freedom and pluralism
The independence of European media regulators and public service media are concerns, the EU Commission says in its annual Rule of Law report comprising the EU countries and enlargement countries Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.
The report says that media freedom and pluralism reforms are under way but further action is needed. Among concerns mentioned are:
- safety of journalists,
- improving safeguards for the independence of some media regulators and public service media,
- increasing the transparency of ownership,
- ensuring better fairness and transparency in the allocation of state advertising.
“In the enlargement countries, there are also concerns about the politicisation of media regulators and the appointment of the broadcasters’ leadership”, the report says.
The new rules of the European Media Freedom Act will fully apply as of 8 August 2025. The European Parliament’s working group on the Act is monitoring the law’s implementation. The Act has been criticised for potential loopholes and trustworthy implementation.
The Act is meant to ensure that media – public and private – can operate more easily across borders in the EU internal market, without undue pressure and taking into account the digital transformation of the media space.
European journalists and media companies face an increasingly hostile environment, according to a recent report from The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR).
“There were at least 1 548 press freedom violations during last year impacting 2 567 media-related persons or entities in 35 countries, up from 1 153 violations in 2023, according to the MFRR report.
Blocking of journalistic activity and intimidation and threatening of media workers were the most prominent types of violations followed by discrediting, harassment, insults, and bullying.
“The trends observed in 2024 indicate a continued deterioration of media freedom in key areas. The sharp rise in verbal attacks and censorship and interference in the EU is alarming, particularly with blocked journalistic activity seeing a significant increase”, the MFRR report says.
The report has been compiled by the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, the European Federation of Journalists, and the International Press Institute, as part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) project.
The media’s economic fragility has emerged as one of the foremost threats to press freedom, Reporters without Borders says in its annual Press Freedom Index.
“The overall conditions for practising journalism are poor in half of the world’s countries; when looking at the economic conditions alone, that figure becomes three-quarters.”
A survey by the Pew Research Center across 35 countries shows that a median of 61% say having freedom of the press is very important, with another 23% saying it is somewhat important.
Only 28% say the media are completely free to report the news in their country, with an additional 38% saying the media are somewhat free, the Pew survey says.
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