Advocacy

With the growing number of attacks against journalists and media freedom violations observed in Europe, as well as globally, and new emerging challenges, it is imperative to keep press and media freedom high on the political agenda.

Advocacy is crucial to raise awareness and provide direct responses to media freedom threats and alerts, building upon monitoring results and analyses. It can take the form of direct advocacy, advocacy missions on the ground and awareness-raising campaigns, whereby all activities mutually enrich each other.

Advocacy actions, statements and open letters

 

Depending on the specific threat or media freedom violation, ECPMF responds with tailored joint statements, open letters or direct diplomacy. The aim is to target national authorities and political stakeholders across the EU and CC and raise public pressure on the states to protect media freedom.

Advocacy mission results

 

When media freedom violations occur, or long-lasting problematic processes persist, or in those situations where a close co-operation between local and international players is key to any solution, advocacy missions represent an important intervention on the ground.

In the course of such missions, representatives of the consortium spend a few days in a country with the dual goal of fact-finding and advocacy. In conversation with local players, problems are framed, solutions identified, and joint strategies developed. At the same time, the presence of an international delegation in the country gives visibility to the problem and allows for dialogue with representatives of state institutions whose responsibilities are relevant to the problem. Advocacy and fast-reaction missions are joint efforts of the freedom of expression community.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Statement

Das Reformpaket der Bundesregierung höhlt das Informationsfreiheitsgesetz aus und greift die Pressefreiheit an

Das ECPMF kritisiert die geplante Reform des Informationsfreiheitsgesetzes (IFG). Die Änderungen gefährden Pressefreiheit, Transparenz und den Zugang zu staatlichen Informationen.

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Statement

Joint Letter: Drop the criminal complaint against CIN-CG journalists in Montenegro

The undersigned press freedom, freedom of expression, journalists’ and human rights organisations strongly condemn the criminal complaint filed against investigative journalists Andrea Perišić and Đurđa Radulović of the Centre for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro (CIN-CG) in Podgorica, Montenegro, in connection with their legitimate journalistic work in the public interest.

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