Serbian authorities must stop the spiral of violence against journalists - Article

Media freedom in Serbia remains trapped in a downward spiral amidst record levels of physical violence against journalists, death threats and online smear campaigns, alarming levels of impunity, and tight political control over the media landscape, a coalition of media freedom organisations concluded.

Kosovo: International media freedom groups demand adequate budget for public broadcaster RT - Article

The undersigned international media freedom and journalist organisations today express our serious concerns about the underfunding of Kosovo’s public broadcaster, Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK), and urgently call for legal budget requirements to be met

Albania: Democratic reform of public broadcaster RTSH remains only viable option - Article

The undersigned Albanian and international media freedom and journalist organisations jointly call on the Albanian government to support the reform of the public service broadcaster Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) through lawful, democratic and institutional means, in line with democratic norms and EU standards

Amendments to Albania’s Criminal Code must be strengthened to ensure full decriminalisation of defamation - Article

The undersigned organisations of the SafeJournalists Network, partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) today stress that recent amendments to Albania’s Criminal Code, though positive, must be strengthened to ensure decriminalisation of defamation

Public letter: Bosnian public broadcaster BHRT requires urgent action from Office of High Representative - Article

MFRR partners express their consternation regarding the absence of political action regarding the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s state-level broadcaster, Radio-Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHRT), to the High Representative, Mr. Christian Schmidt

SLAPP in Montenegro: between hesitant courts and missed reforms - Article

Strategic lawsuits against public participation remain an under-recognized practice in the country. The ongoing proceedings before the Podgorica court, initiated by Andrej Vučić, brother of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, against the daily newspaper Vijesti, could set an important precedent for establishing judicial practices in handling SLAPPs

By Olivera Nikolic and Massimo Moratty 

Media freedom under electoral siege: money, law, and silence between the lines - Article

When it comes to Macedonian media, Brussels notes “limited progress,” the OSCE warns of unequal access to the media space, and the civil sector speaks of a system of soft censorship and quiet dependence on state funding

By Metamorphosis Foundation

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

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

Media freedom, a prerequisite for EU enlargement - Article

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

Towards Stronger Anti-SLAPP Protections in Romania - Article

Growing awareness of SLAPPs in Romania has spurred new legislative and civil society initiatives. Yet, their success will hinge on coordinated action to protect journalists and uphold freedom of expression