Accompanied by six experts, MEPs from the European Parliament’s Committees on Civil Liberties (LIBE) and Education and Culture (CULT) discussed, on Thursday 12 June, the implementation of European legislation on media freedom and the protection of journalists.
Renate Nikolay, from the European Commission (DG Connect), outlined the existing and forthcoming measures: the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), the European directive against ‘SLAPP procedures’ (Anti-SLAPP Directive) (see EUROPE 13304/5), the Digital Services Act, as well as the future ‘European Democracy Shield’ and the next Multiannual Financial Framework, which should “provide greater support for the media”.
Introducing the debate, LIBE Committee Chair, Javier Zarzajelos (EPP, Spanish), said that “shortcomings remain in the implementation” of these tools in the face of an “increasing number of incidents”.
Regulations on media freedom. According to Renate Nikolay, the Commission’s 2025 Rule of Law Report should “give indications as to the state of preparation of the Member States for the implementation of this regulation”, which will come fully into force in August. The Commission should “not hesitate to launch infringement proceedings if there is no willingness to act”.
SLAPP procedures. For Justin Borg-Bartet, co-founder of the Anti-SLAPP Research Hub, defamation legislation should be harmonised by means of the European ‘Rome II’ regulation, to avoid journalists being threatened in more than one country. Nikola Monchev (Renew Europe, Bulgarian) stressed that “the Anti-SLAPP Directive does not cover budgetary administrative procedures”. On this point, the Commission said it was not “closing the door to a revision” of the text.
Surveillance of journalists. Jean-Paul Marthoz, the coordinator of the Council of Europe’s annual report on media freedom, warned against “the abusive invocation of national security to justify the surveillance of journalists and the withholding of information of public interest” underlining “the risk of collusion between the secret services, the authorities and the judiciary”.
Disinformation. Elena Rodina, from the European Centre for Media and Press Freedom, pointed out that disinformation was still being used “with the participation of those in power and state actors to erode public confidence in critical journalism”.
Oliver Money-Kyrle of the International Press Institute called for “tax incentives for media advertisers and subscribers”, as “the decline in journalism creates the conditions for the spread of disinformation”. (Original version in French by Florent Servia)