STRASBOURG: The EU is to better protect journalists from political interference under an unprecedented media freedom law adopted by the European Parliament on Wednesday.
The legislation, backed in a vote by 464 EU lawmakers, with 92 against and 65 abstaining, also enshrines editorial independence and seeks to improve transparency on media ownership.
The European Union commissioner for values and transparency, Vera Jourova, hailed the “historic vote”, saying on X that “independent media are essential to democracies” and “it’s the duty of democracies to protect them”.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a media watchdog advocating journalist safety and independence, welcomed the move.
“This law’s adoption marks a major step forward for the right to information within the European Union,” said RSF’s Brussels office chief Julie Majerczak.
She called for EU member countries to “ambitiously” implement the law.
The draft text of the European Media Freedom Act was introduced by the European Commission in 2022 in reaction to deteriorating media pluralism and independence in EU countries such as Hungary and Poland, and also as spyware like Pegasus and Predator was being used to target journalists.
The legislation, backed in a vote by 464 EU lawmakers, with 92 against and 65 abstaining, also enshrines editorial independence and seeks to improve transparency on media ownership.
The European Union commissioner for values and transparency, Vera Jourova, hailed the “historic vote”, saying on X that “independent media are essential to democracies” and “it’s the duty of democracies to protect them”.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a media watchdog advocating journalist safety and independence, welcomed the move.
“This law’s adoption marks a major step forward for the right to information within the European Union,” said RSF’s Brussels office chief Julie Majerczak.
She called for EU member countries to “ambitiously” implement the law.
The draft text of the European Media Freedom Act was introduced by the European Commission in 2022 in reaction to deteriorating media pluralism and independence in EU countries such as Hungary and Poland, and also as spyware like Pegasus and Predator was being used to target journalists.
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