28/06/24 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday 27 June, the European University Institute in Florence published its new annual report on media pluralism in the EU. Among the threats to journalists, the report notes an increase in “SLAPP procedures”. Moreover, while freedom of expression is legally “present throughout Europe”, its protection “varies considerably”. This is the case in France, where the risk score” has increased “due to incidents of violence, surveillance and arbitrary arrests of journalists”. At a time when journalists have been arrested in Spain, the Netherlands and Turkey, the EU is calling for greater protection of “confidential communications”. Other threats identified include a trend towards media concentration, a growing lack of editorial independence in the face of political and commercial pressures, and unequal access to the media. (FS)