The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) together with the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners in welcoming the European Commission’s EU Democracy Shield initiative and the European Parliament’s Special Committee’s Rapporteur’s draft report published on 21 January. While the Shield lays out critical political priorities and policy measures to defend democracy, these require further operationalisation. The MFRR reiterates its calls for a comprehensive action plan that elaborates on the concrete implementation and timeline for these commitments.
The MFRR partners, therefore, share this more detailed response that aims to translate the political commitments of the Democracy Shield into concrete actions that can feed into the Parliamentary Debate on 29 January, and consequent amending procedure.
We are happy to see that Draft Report recognises our monitoring data, citing it to portray the increased intensity of attacks against journalists, and its interplay with disinformation campaigns and foreign interference. In light of this, the amendments MFRR seeks to promote focus on specific topics of media freedom, media pluralism and the protection of journalists.
Our organisations seek to emphasise topics that are inseparable from European values of democracy and human rights, as well as European security and the safeguarding of the information ecosystem. We commend the Draft Report for emphasising the importance of media in the next Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF), and we reiterate our calls for allocating adequate mechanisms for independent media viability and long-term financing.
MFRR truly believes that media and independent journalism should become a part of critical infrastructure and be treated as such. We welcome the strong focus on Anti-SLAPP initiatives and invite the European Parliament to provide concrete steps on the topics of protecting journalists, supporting journalists in exile, and the enforcement of European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), Digital Services Act (DSA) and other EU acts.
More specifically, MFRR welcomes that the Democracy Shield prioritises the safety and protection of journalists, a critical prerequisite for an independent and plural media environment. We also welcome the announcement to scale up rapid response work with trusted partners, to update the Recommendation on the Safety of Journalists and review the Anti-SLAPP Recommendation and to adopt guidelines to support the implementation of EU rules. We call for these protections to be extended both in terms of increased physical security, including non-lethal violence, and legal protection, such as decriminalisation of defamation, and a stronger opposition to foreign agent-style laws.
The MFRR also welcomes the Democracy Shield’s commitment to provide core support to exiled independent journalists and media outlets and to sustain high quality independent media outlets in key partner countries. The EU remains a critical safe haven for journalists at risk worldwide, especially against the backdrop of rising authoritarianism and increased crises. While some EU Member States have stepped forward in offering short-term relocation and protection to journalists in distress, the EU falls short in offering durable and structural protection. In addition, authoritarian regimes continue to target journalists abroad through digital harassment, surveillance and physical attacks. Transnational repression (TNR) requires a coordinated EU response, which the Shield is currently lacking.
Finally, safeguarding the integrity of the information space across the EU block and candidate countries is one of the core objectives of the Democracy Shield. The report recognises and prioritises the threats that foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) poses to democracies and citizen’s rights, including its impact on media freedom and independent journalism. The MFRR calls for a concrete action plan for the functioning of the Centre for Democratic Resilience, and a stronger involvement of journalists and media. As well as stronger support to independent journalists.
MFRR partners sincerely hope to see these recommendations integrated into future drafts and a final report. Our organisations remain open to dialogue and meetings with EU institutions in the drafting process. We intend to remain fully engaged on the initiatives stemming from the European Democracy Shield, both as MFRR, and within wider civil society efforts.
