Media freedom, independence, and pluralism are fundamental pillars of European democracies. Freedom of speech and journalists' safety is crucial for countries such as Albania and Serbia that aspire to join the EU. Thanks to the cooperation with two local partners, this project intends to contribute to creating a network of Balkan, Italian, and European actors engaged in effective advocacy to protect media freedom in the EU and the two countries involved in the integration process.
Various indices and monitoring tools on media freedom in the Balkan region point to a worrying situation, characterized by increasing control exercised by power groups promoting anti-European agendas, fragile media independence due to difficulties in accessing public/private funds, episodes of political interference, and violence against journalists.
Through the exchange of experiences and cooperation in advocacy work, OBCT and its two partners - the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (IJAS) and the Centre Science and Innovation for Development (SCiDEV) in Albania - will elaborate two shadow report on the accession negotiations concerning the media sector in the two candidate countries, to strengthen the involvement of civil society in the EU accession process focusing on the nexus between media and democracy.
INTERVIEW Serbian journalism, stronger EU support is needed
Serena Epis, Sava Mirković | 13/11/2024Amid a systematic erosion of editorial independence by the government, stronger international support is needed to uphold media freedom in the country. An interview with Igor Božić, news director of the independent N1 TV
INTERVIEW Fact-Checking in Albania: Confronting Disinformation and Intimidation
Luisa Chiodi, Sukanya Sengupta | 6/11/2024The disconnect between the younger generation and traditional media, the struggles to hold public institutions accountable, and the urgent need for a syndicate to protect journalists’ rights. These are just some of the challenges that the media sector has to face in Albania. An interview
MEDIA Addressing Key Challenges to Media Freedom in Albania and Serbia
Serena Epis, Sukanya Sengupta | 30/10/2024To contribute to the European Commission’s Rule of Law monitoring, OBCT, in partnership with SCiDEV and IJAS, produced two Shadow Reports outlining the challenges and gaps in media freedom in Albania and Serbia. The main findings were presented during a webinar
INTERVIEW Islands of integrity: the struggle of independent media in Albania
Luisa Chiodi, Sukanya Sengupta | 14/10/2024Lufti Dervishi, a founding member of the Albanian Center for Quality Journalism, emphasises the challenges that Albanian journalism faces today. The media are entangled in corruption, self-censorship, and state-sponsored disinformation. However, not everything is negative, and there is still reason for hope
Media Freedom in the Western Balkans: Challenges in the Framework of EU Enlargement
As political interference and threats to journalists grow, the EU's new legislative measures, including the anti-SLAPP directive and the European Media Freedom Act, aim to safeguard press freedom in member and candidate countries. A recent webinar highlighted the struggle for media independence in Albania and Serbia amid their EU accession efforts
INTERVIEW Digital security in Serbia: another challenge to media freedom
Serena Epis | 22/7/2024Media outlets in the country are increasingly exposed to cyber attacks, online threats and manipulations. We talked about digital security and its impact on independent journalism in Serbia with Bojan Perkov, digital policy coordinator at SHARE Foundation
INTERVIEW Albania: freedom of the press crushed by the weight of politics
Luisa Chiodi | 28/6/2024Almost non-existent professional ethics, capture of the media by politics and financial unsustainability are just some of the main issues that make the Albanian media landscape particularly alarming. An interview
INTERVIEW Serbia: media independence is an exception rather than the rule
Serena Epis | 13/6/2024Increasing political and financial pressure threatens the independence and editorial autonomy of many media outlets in Serbia. We interviewed Irina Milutinović, Senior Research Associate at the Institute of European Studies in Belgrade and co-author of the Country Report on Serbia of the Media Pluralism Monitor 2023
Workshop on Advocacy and Freedom of Information
8/4/2024As part of the ATLIB project, OBCT organizes a workshop on advocacy and freedom of information with stakeholders from Albania, Italy and Serbia
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This project is carried out with the support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation under Article 23ter paragraph 2 of the Presidential Decree 18/67. All opinions expressed within the scope of this project represent the opinion of their author and not those of the Ministry.
