Bulgarian Parliament – – National Assembly main building, SofiaPhotographs of flags of Bulgaria in Sofia – Miroslav Nikolov, Wikimedia Commons
Bulgaria: Mission to examine media freedom and independent journalism

ECPMF

24 September 2025

No Comments

Between 24-25 September, the International Press Institute (IPI) will join a coalition of international media freedom and journalist organisations travelling to Bulgaria to conduct a press freedom mission on behalf of the Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform and the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR).

 

The delegation will conduct a series of meetings over two days in the capital Sofia with stakeholders including the Bulgarian President; Ministry of Justice; Ministry of Interior; Council of Electronic Media (CEM); Office of General Prosecutor; Commission for Personal Data Protection; Central Election Commission and representatives from embassies.

 

Representatives of the participating organisations will also meet with leading journalists and editors from a range of different media organisations in Bulgaria, as well as media associations and unions, media experts, members of civil society organisations and academics. Separate meetings are planned with the Bulgarian National Radio and the Bulgarian National Television.

 

The aim is to take the pulse of media freedom in the country, examining issues including the safety of journalists, media regulation, public broadcasting, media pluralism, defamation and SLAPPs, media ownership and the reform process required under the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA).

 

A press briefing to share the initial findings of the mission and present recommendations to safeguard media freedom in Bulgaria will be held from 09.30-11.00 on 26 September at National Press Club of the Bulgarian Press Agency (49 “Tsarigradsko shose” blvd). The event is open to all media and translation services will be provided.

 

Participants include ARTICLE 19, Association of European Journalists (AEJ), European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), European Broadcasting Union (EBU), European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Index on Censorship, International Press Institute (IPI), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT).

 

This mission is being organised with support of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and Candidate Countries.

Read news by categories:

Related news

Statement

Albania: Cumulative pressure on media freedom and civic space demands urgent action

ECPMF and partners warn of escalating threats to journalists during Albania's Flamingo Revolution and call for urgent action to protect media freedom.

READ MORE
Statement

Azerbaijan: Nine journalists and media workers sentenced to up to 15 years in prison

Nine Toplum TV journalists and media workers have been sentenced to up to 15 years in prison in Azerbaijan, in a case highlighting the ongoing crackdown on independent media.

READ MORE
Statement

Kosovo: Reversing the decline in media freedom

A Council of Europe Platform mission finds media freedom in Kosovo has declined, citing political pressure, attacks on journalists and concerns over media independence.

READ MORE
Statement

Serbia: A dangerous spiral of violence against journalists

Record levels of physical violence against journalists, death threats and online smear campaigns, entrenched impunity, and tight political control over the media landscape – media freedom in Serbia is in a deepening crisis with a rapidly closing window for independent journalism to operate.

READ MORE
Statement

Italy: MFRR report highlights continuing media freedom backsliding

On 9-10 March 2026, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) consortium conducted its third visit to Rome in five years. The MFRR mission found that Italy has continued on a negative trajectory, resulting in a further erosion of media freedom.

READ MORE
Statement

Türkiye: Media freedom groups demand release of journalists detained ahead of NATO Summit

ECPMF is joined by 26 other organisations representing media freedom, freedom of expression, journalists’ and human rights organisations in expressing profound alarm at the recent wave of detentions and arrests of journalists and civil society representatives in Türkiye in the immediate lead-up to the NATO Summit in Ankara on 7-8 July.

READ MORE