By European Parliament from EU – Hearing of Věra Jourová (Czech Republic) – Vice president-designate – Values and Transparency, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82911239
ECPMF joins 18 civil society organisations to express full support to Vice-President Jourová after attacks by Hungarian government"

Gavin.Rea

30 September 2020

No Comments

30 September 2020 

 

Dear President von der Leyen,
Dear President Michel, 

Dear President Sassoli,

 

We, the undersigned organisations, are writing to express our full support to Vice-President Věra Jourová following attacks by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his government. We also want to reiterate our call to the European Commission and the European Council to take strong action to address the severe deterioration of the rule of law and media pluralism in Hungary. 

 

The full interview made by Vice-President Jourová in Der Spiegel on 25 September 2020 regarding Hungary, and Viktor Orbán’s administration, was based on data, research and facts. 

 

The issues in Hungary, especially concerning media pluralism and freedom, are well-documented and echo warnings by civil society, including through research by international organisations, as well as the European Parliament’s decision to launch the Article 7 procedure

 

Over the last 10 years, the Hungarian authorities have actively restricted the space for civil society and independent media to operate freely. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation has dramatically deteriorated, with new press freedom violation cases being reported weekly by journalists and civil society organisations. 

 

So far, the lack of concrete response from the European Union has only contributed to giving more space to Prime Minister Orbán to trample on the rule of law, democracy, and press freedom. The Article 7 procedure still has not progressed, and the two complaints launched in 2016 and 2018 inquiring about the misuse of state aid to favour pro-government media have not received any responses. Ahead of today’s publication of the first EU Rule of Law report and this week’s European Council, we urge:

 

  • The European Commission to remain firm and use all the political and legal tools to stop the dismantling of the rule of law, democracy and media freedom by the Hungarian authorities. This includes fully backing the Article 7 procedure, immediately increasing scrutiny of the use of EU funds and investigating the unfair and non-transparent distribution of state advertising and the independence of its Media Council under the revised EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive.
  • The European Council to adopt strong conclusions on the EU Rule of Law conditionality clause, with an effective voting system leading to sanctions in case of serious and systematic breaches of the rule of law by any Member State. 

 

The European Commission must continue, despite any political attack or force of undue pressure, to meet the vision set out in the September 2019 mission letter to Commissioner Jourová. Some of the current interventions and measures undertaken by the Commission, including the pending European Democracy Action Plan and the EU Rule of Law report, have the potential to be ambitious and far-reaching and could uphold EU values for generations to come. 

 

We remain at your disposal for any further information and look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Alliance Internationale de Journalistes

Association of European Journalists (AEJ)

ARTICLE 19

Committee to Protect Journalists

European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)

European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)

European Media Initiative

Free Press Unlimited (FPU)

Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD)

Index on Censorship

International Media Support (IMS)

International Press Institute (IPI)

Lie Detectors

Ossigeno per l’Informazione

Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)

The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation

Thomson Media (TM)

Transparency International EU

Read news by categories:

Related news

Jobs

Advocacy Officer

We are seeking an Advocacy Officer to commence duties as soon as possible. As Advocacy Officer at ECPMF, you will be at the forefront of all advocacy activities, representing ECPMF’s mission in public and political debates.

READ MORE
Press release

Social media is the main source of information for Ukrainian refugees in Germany

On behalf of ECPMF and The JX Fund, The Forsa Institute for Social Research and Statistical Analysis (forsa) has surveyed the media usage of Ukrainian refugees in Germany for the first time.

READ MORE
Statement

Hungary: Draft Sovereignty Protection Act poses fresh threat to independent media

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today alerts the European Union about the chilling impact that the Hungarian ruling party’s proposed Sovereignty Protection Act will have on what remains of the country’s embattled independent media community.

READ MORE
Statement

North Macedonia: Ruling against Investigative Reporting Lab and its editor must be overturned

The organisations of the MFRR and the SafeJournalists Network (SJN) today express shared dismay at a recent defamation verdict by a judge in North Macedonia which recommends shutting down one of the country’s leading investigative media outlets.

READ MORE
Statement

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Republika Srpska president Dodik verbally attacks journalist

The undersigned partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today condemn the insulting and threatening behaviour of the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, towards journalist Snezana Mitrović and her employer N1 television.

READ MORE
Statement

Italy: MFRR partners condemn summons of RAI presenter Sigfrido Ranucci

As the Turkish Constitutional Court reviews the constitutionality of the "disinformation offence”, the MFRR partner organisations reiterate their call for the annulment of Article 217/A of the Turkish Penal Code.

READ MORE