European Parliament Briefing, 2025.

In 1993, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly declared 3 May World Press Freedom Day, acting on a recommendation adopted by UNESCO's General Conference in 1991. This year will mark the 32nd anniversary of the day, with UNESCO and other international partners organising special events around the world.

European University Institute and The Centre of Media Pluralism and Media Freedom, Comparing the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Spain using the lens of the Media Pluralism Monitor, European University Institute, 2023.

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The Media Pluralism Monitor (MPM) is a cutting-edge tool co-funded by the European Union and developed by the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF) to annually monitor and assess the state of media freedom and media pluralism within national media systems in Europe. The most recent implementation of the MPM was conducted in 27 EU Member States, as well as five candidate countries (Albania, Montenegro, The Republic of North Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey). Media pluralism is interpreted broadly as covering four dimensions, specifically: fundamental protection, market plurality, political independence, and social inclusiveness.

European Commission: Secretariat-General, Democracy – Report, Publications Office of the European Union, 2023.

Democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights are the foundations on which the European Union is based. Democracy allows citizens to make electoral choices in a public space where a plurality of views can be expressed freely and to shape laws and public policies at European, national, regional and local levels. It requires safeguards, checks and balances, and institutions that fulfil their roles and uphold the rules of pluralistic democratic debate. Yet, democracy cannot be taken for granted. In recent years, democracy in the EU and its Member States has been facing challenges, including rising extremism and polarisation, perceived distancing between people and their elected representatives and the spread of disinformation.

European Parliament Briefing, 2024.

An independent media is a pillar of democracy and an important part of the economy, helping to shape public opinion and hold those in power to account. In recent years, however, there have been increasingly worrying trends across the EU, as documented in the annual rule of law reports by the European Commission, and by other tools such as the Media Pluralism Monitor. The European Media Freedom Act introduces a new set of rules to promote media pluralism and independence across the EU. The aim is to prevent political interference in editorial decisions and ensure transparency of media ownership.

European Parliament: Directorate-General for Internal Policies of the Union, Brogi, E., Borges, D., Carlini, R., Nenadic, I. et al., The European Media Freedom Act – Media freedom, freedom of expression and pluralism, European Parliament, 2023.

This study analyses the European Media Freedom Act proposal. It provides a political and historical overview of EU policies in the field of media and on information society at large, also taking into account the debate regarding EU competences on media pluralism and media freedom. The study reasons on the legal basis of the proposed Act, and then analyses the provisions of it under each of the Chapters of the Act, basing on relevant academic literature, policy documents, and empirical data. It concludes with policy recommendations.

European Economic and Social Committee, 2022-

European Economic and Social Committee reports on country visits.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Communication and Kantar, Media use in the European Union – Eurobarometer report, European Commission, 2023.

The full report of the Standard Eurobarometer 100 survey consists of multiple volumes. The first volume presents the results of general questions about the state of public opinion in the European Union. Four other volumes present Europeans’ opinions about the following topics: the use of Media in the European Union, the European Union’s priorities, European citizenship, and opinions regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The present volume of the Autumn 2023 Standard Eurobarometer survey focuses on media use in the European Union.

European Parliament: Directorate-General for Internal Policies of the Union, Borg-Barthet, J. and Farrington, F., Open SLAPP cases in 2022 and 2023, European Parliament, 2024.

Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) refers to legal claims or threats of legal action that involve an abuse of process or right in matters concerning the defendant’s exercise of their right to public participation on a matter of public interest. It is becoming increasingly apparent that SLAPPs present a threat to democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and the proper functioning of the European Union. This awareness has led to a number of initiatives to deter, remedy or penalise SLAPPs. In April 2022 the European Commission introduced a package of Anti-SLAPP measures, including a proposed Anti-SLAPP Directive covering SLAPPs in civil matters with cross-border implications.

SWD(2024) 4 final, European Commission, 2024.

The report focuses on the main changes brought by the revised Directive and looks at a wide range of important areas of the AVSMD, in particular: the scope of application, the country-of-origin principle and the cooperation between national regulators and the European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services (ERGA), the protection of minors, the accessibility of audiovisual media services to persons with visual or hearing disabilities, the rules on prominence of audiovisual media services of general interest, the rules on signal integrity, the audiovisual commercial communications, the co-/self-regulatory initiatives, the rules on video-sharing platforms and the independence of media regulators.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology, Intellera Consulting, Open Evidence and PwC, Study on putting in practice by Member States of the recommendation on the protection, safety and empowerment of journalists – Final report, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

This Study supports the European Commission in understanding how European Union Member States have implemented Recommendation 2021/1534 on the protection, safety, and empowerment of journalists. Specifically, this Study offers an overview of the current safety situation within the European Union before offering a comparative analysis of relevant initiatives identified in EU Member States aimed at implementing or contributing to the Recommendation. To achieve this, the Study mapped relevant initiatives implemented in EU Member States and compiled them into 27 Country Factsheets.