News

European Democracy Shield: Bolstering independent media at the core of democratic resilience

18/11/2025

In the face of rising digital manipulation, shrinking civic space and collapsing media business models, the European Democracy Shield offers an important opportunity to ensure safety of journalists and media viability, among other things, but only if turned into concrete action. This is what MFRR aims to follow

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EU Enlargement Package: Assessments must now translate into meaningful media freedom action

13/11/2025

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today welcomes the publication of the 2025 EU Enlargement Package and highlights key media freedom developments and concerns that should shape negotiations with candidate countries moving forward

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Letter of concern over the dismissal of journalist Gabriele Nunziati

12/11/2025

The undersigned MFRR partners sent a letter to the Italian news agency Agenzia Nova to express their shared concern and dismay over the dismissal of journalist Gabriele Nunziati

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Impunity Day: MFRR renews urgent call for justice for murdered journalists around Europe

03/11/2025

To mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on November 2, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) honours the memory of those who have lost their lives in the pursuit of truth and demands justice for the crimes committed against them

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Report: Fragile media freedom progress in Bulgaria at risk of backsliding without urgent reform

31/10/2025

The partner organisations of the Council of Europe's Safety of Journalists Platform and the Media Freedom Rapid Response have released the media freedom report on Bulgaria following a three-day fact-finding mission that took place from 24 to 26 September

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Media freedom, a prerequisite for EU enlargement

24/10/2025

To advance in their European integration path, Western Balkan candidate countries must ensure media freedom and pluralism. For Montenegro and North Macedonia, this means moving beyond formal commitments and demonstrating through concrete actions that democratic reforms are more than words on paper

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Montenegro: public service hostage to cronyism

22/10/2025

Following the recent conviction for abuse of office of the President and three members of the Radio and Television of Montenegro (RTCG) Council, controversy continues over the appointment of Boris Raonić as director of the Montenegrin public broadcaster

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Car bomb attack on investigative journalist Sigfrido Ranucci rings alarm for media freedom in Italy

17/10/2025

OBCT joins the undersigned journalists and media freedom organisations in strongly condemning the car bomb attack on one of Italy’s leading investigative journalist and his family. We welcome the opening of an investigation by the Anti-Mafia Investigation Division and call for an urgent assessment of the effectiveness of the protective measures applied to the journalist

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Call on President von der Leyen to address media freedom crisis in the Western Balkans

13/10/2025

Against the backdrop of a rapidly worsening media freedom crisis across the region, most prominently in Serbia, a coalition of international media freedom, journalists’ and freedom of expression organizations calls on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to raise the threats to the protection of journalists and media pluralism with the respective authorities during her visit to the Western Balkans this week (13-16 October)

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Georgia: urgent action to safeguard independent journalism

10/10/2025

The undersigned media freedom, journalists’, and freedom of expression organisations strongly condemn the intensifying crackdown on Georgian journalists and press freedom defenders who continue to face institutional repression and physical attacks.

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