Brussels – Celebrating the value of press freedom, especially when uncomfortable truths are brought to light. Yesterday (21 October), the winners of the European Parliament’s Daphne Caruana Galizia 2026 Journalism Prize were announced. The award went to the Italian journalist Giacomo Zandonini and the Dutch journalist Maite Vermeulen, authors of the investigative report “Cuffed, caged, cast away: this is Europe’s ‘innovative solution‘ for unwanted migrants”, an investigation into the migration agreement between Italy and Albania. The article was published in January 2026 by the Dutch platform De Correspondent.
The investigation looked into the agreement that enabled Italy to build a detention centre and the sorting centre for asylum seekers on Albanian territory. The journalists traced the origins of the agreement and examined why several EU countries regard it as an “innovative model” for the future of European migration policy. The project was carried out in collaboration with photo editor Bebe Blanco Agterberg, photographer Francesco Bellina, and information designer Sharon Coone.
The award was presented during a ceremony held on the sidelines of this week’s plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. It was presented by a representative of an independent jury, comprising journalists from all European Union countries, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, and the Vice-President of the European Parliament and head of the award, Pina Picierno.
“Nine years after Daphne Caruana Galizia was brutally murdered for exposing corruption, our determination to see justice done remains as strong as ever,” said Metsola, stressing that “her courage continues to be a source of inspiration”. The President also reiterated that the award “honours that courage and commitment to the truth”, and that the European Parliament “will continue to stand with journalists, defend press freedom and fight for justice.”
Between 4 May and 31 July 2026, hundreds of journalists from the 27 EU countries submitted their stories, for a total of 344 entries. The award is named after the Maltese journalist and anti-corruption activist who exposed the Valletta government’s links to the Panama Papers and who, as a result of her investigative work, was killed on 16 October 2017 by a bomb that had been planted in her car. Established in 2020, the prize is open to professional journalists or teams of journalists of any nationality, provided their investigations have been published or broadcast by a media organisation based in one of the Member States. The winner – who will receive 20,000 euros – is selected by an independent jury, comprising representatives of the press and civil society from the 27 Member States, as well as representatives of the main European journalists’ associations. Before announcing the winner, the jury shortlisted 10 of the 344 entries. Last year, the investigative journalism collective Follow the Money won the prize for the investigation titled The Shadow Fleet Secrets, which examined the Russian shadow fleet and the circumvention of oil sanctions.
