2024 EC Rule of Law Report: EU Accession Countries and Member States on Equal Footing, Civic Space Threats Overlooked

The assessment of media freedom and pluralism clearly reveals that the primary concerns are transparency and the safety of journalists, both of which are under significant threat. There are reports of widespread intimidation and threats against journalists in the region: for example, online threats are widespread in Albania, while attacks against female journalists are quite common in North Macedonia. In Montenegro, law enforcement has been stepped up but judicial follow up on past cases remains lacking. There has been a rise in attacks on journalists in Serbia with 183 cases in 2023. 

Concerns remain over the respect of the right to information.  The amendments to the Right to Information law in Albania aims  to bring positive changes but enforcement remains an issue. In Montenegro and Serbia public bodies are often unwilling to release information demanded by journalists. 

SLAPPs have become a concerning issue in recent years. The legal framework in the region fails to provide protection against SLAPPs. Defamation remains a criminal offense in Albania. The civil defamation law in North Macedonia was amended in 2022, which introduced measures to lessen the threats faced by investigative journalists. Montenegro imposes strict penalties for violence against journalists, granting them the status of public interest workers. Despite some progress, Serbia and Albania have witnessed a rise in SLAPPs. Montenegro has demonstrated a positive trend with a steady decline in the number of SLAPP in recent years.

The BCSDN’s analysis recognises that the EC’s Rule of Law Reports provide detailed information about challenges to media freedom, yet it points out that they focus too heavily on attacks against journalists, failing to fully cover human rights violations.