2024 Rule of Law Report - Country Chapter North Macedonia - Reports

Despite constitutional guarantees, North Macedonian journalists face many challenges regarding freedom of expression and media censorship. Troubling precedents, such as defamation cases, are a serious hurdle to media freedom in the country. Journalism remains an unappealing career option for many due to insufficient and non-transparent state funding

2024 Rule of Law Report - Country Chapter Montenegro - Reports

Montenegro adopted a comprehensive legislative package in June 2024 to bolster media pluralism and freedom in line with EU standards. The legislative packages aim to grant the Agency for Audiovisual Media Services (AAVMS) greater autonomy and enforcement power. Improvements have also been noticed in how the authorities respond to reported violence against journalists, but there remains a lack of effective judicial action, specifically in past cases

2024 Rule of Law Report - Country Chapter Croatia - Reports

Media Freedom, pluralism and the Right to Information are legally safeguarded in Croatia. However, skepticism persists regarding the independence of the Council for Electronic Media and the public service broadcaster, HRT. Media ownership transparency remains a challenge and SLAPPs targeting journalists are a growing concern

2024 Rule of Law Report - Country Chapter Romania - Reports

The public service media grapples with funding shortages and issues of editorial autonomy that lead to challenges in fulfilling its mandate. Though a robust legal framework with imposition of penalties is in place, some political parties have increased their financing of private media for political advertising. Threats and harassment against journalists continue and steady access to information is not available

2024 Rule of Law Report - Country Chapter Bulgaria - Reports

The report points out a set of challenges to media freedom in the country, including the independence of the media regulator, the management of existing registers for media ownership, the implementation of legal safeguards for economic and political interference and editorial independence, access to public information, and increasing cases of threats of lawsuits and censorship

Croatia, journalists on the streets - Article

Hundreds of journalists took to the streets in Zagreb against the Plenković government's amendments to the Criminal Code, which limit the right to report. According to the Association of Croatian Journalists, the prime minister wants to silence investigations into his government's corruption

By Giovanni Vale 

Originally published by OBCT. Also available in ITA

Romania: MFRR to conduct media freedom mission ahead of super electoral year - Article

On 22-25 January, OBCT and IPI - as part of MFRR - will conduct an on-line fact-finding mission to assess the current state of media freedom in the country 

Silencing Voices in Italy: The Erosion of Media Freedom - Article

Italy's media is in crisis, battling legal onslaughts and facing a surge of censorship one year after the establishment of the far-right government led by Giorgia Meloni

By Sielke Kelner

(Originally published by Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung , 16.01.2024)

MFRR highlights threats to media freedom in EU Commission’s Rule of Law report - Article

OBCT and MFRR partners participated in the European Commission's public consultations on the rule of law providing updates on media freedom in EU countries 

Poland: Recommendations for democratic reform for press freedom and public media - Article

OBCT joins MFRR partners in renewing their recommendations to the new Polish government to improve the media freedom situation in the country in line with democratic values and the rule of law