The Media Freedom Act, the EU regulation to protect journalists, enters into force

Brussels – The first EU regulation to protect media independence and plurality enters into force today (May 7). It is the Media Freedom Act, a law that provides safeguards against political interference in editorial decisions and surveillance of journalists.

The Media Independence Regulation was approved by the EU Parliament last March, overcoming resistance from Hungary and Poland. European Commission Vice President Věra Jourová said, “For the first time ever, the EU has a law to protect media freedom; the Union recognizes that journalists play an essential role in democracy.” Internal Market and Services Commissioner Thierry Breton reiterated the importance of the new rule, recalling that “companies in the world of journalism face declining revenues, threats to freedom, and a patchwork of different national rules.”

The new Regulations will require member states to respect editorial freedom, while service providers must ensure ownership transparency. To avoid excessive political allotment of public media outlets, their managers and board members will have to be selected for sufficiently long terms, and they also will not be able to be fired before the end of their contracts unless “professional requirements are lacking.” All large and small publishing groups will be required to publish information about their owners within a national database so that the public can know who controls individual media outlets and what interests may lie behind ownership. The enactment of the Media Freedom Act comes in the aftermath of the RAI journalists’ strike who protested blocked and unclear hiring and political interference in journalistic work.

I discussed with @globalfreemedia what the European Commission has achieved over the past years to increase the protection of journalists, thanks to the strong support of civil society. Still many challenges ahead.
Have a look ⬇️ https://t.co/CemkBQzsFl

— Věra Jourová (@VeraJourova) May 7, 2024