ECPMF / Homepage - Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa

Defending the right to freedom of information and promoting the transnational public debate on violations registered in the European Union as well as in the enlargement and Eastern Partnership countries are the objectives of the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom - ECPMF , of which OBC Transeuropa is one of the founding members.

The services OBCT provides to ECPMF include the development and curation of the Resource Centre on Media Freedom in Europe and an ongoing work of information and in-depth analysis on key issues for European democracy, in network with numerous media partners in Italy and South-Eastern Europe.

OBCT news on media and journalism

Croatia: Tackling political pressure, legal challenges and precarity to revive media freedom

| 24/2/2025

Outdated media laws, compromised public media independence, SLAPPs, as well as mounting economic, political, and physical pressures are undermining journalism and media freedom in Croatia, as outlined in the latest Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) report

Ukraine: MFRR partners stand with journalists, 3 years since start of full-scale invasion

| 24/2/2025

On 24 February 2025, Ukraine marks three years since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. While the current scale of Russian attacks against journalists cannot be compared to that at the start of the war, they remain worryingly high and persistent

Italy: MFRR calls for full transparency after Fanpage editor-in-chief surveilled with spyware technology

redazione | 18/2/2025

The partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today urge Italian authorities to shed full light on the recent surveillance of an editor-in-chief in Italy and others using spyware technology developed by Israeli firm Paragon Solutions.

INFORMATION Yes, journalism needs public funding

Lorenzo Ferrari | 14/2/2025

The sudden cut in US support for civil society organizations abroad is also putting many media outlets in crisis, especially in Central and Eastern Europe. Their voice is important for democracy, but there are not many viable alternatives for their financial sustainability

MFRR Monitoring Report 2024

| 12/2/2025

The latest annual Monitoring Report analyses the press freedom situation in 35 European countries, including the 27 EU Member States and nine countries with EU candidate status. Between January and December 2024, Mapping Media Freedom documented 1,548 press freedom violations targeting 2,567 media-related persons or entities – an alarming increase compared to the 1,153 violations recorded in 2023

CURRENT EVENTS USAID suspension in BiH, a hard blow to media and civil society

Sarajevo | Darko Kurić | 18/2/2025

The suspension of the US government's international aid programmes, one of the first decisions taken by Donald Trump after taking office, has triggered a wave of uncertainty around the world, and Bosnia and Herzegovina is no exception

INVESTIGATION Trentino, journalism and gag complaints (2)

Paola Rosà | 28/1/2025

Media outlets in Trentino are targeted by mayors, entrepreneurs and even magistrates; however, tracking this form of legal harassment remains challenging. Second part of an investigation into the phenomenon of SLAPPs in Trentino

INVESTIGATION Trentino, journalism and gag complaints

Paola Rosà | 27/1/2025

Between announced complaints and warnings, we heard from 4 newspaper editors, the union and an investigative journalist. First part of an investigation into the SLAPP phenomenon in Trentino

Press freedom partners call for release of Mzia Amaglobeli, end to crackdown on free press

24/1/2025

OBCT joins press freedom and human rights organizations in calling for the immediate release of Georgian journalist Amaglobeli, an end to media repression, and an investigation into her mistreatment

MEDIA Salonicco, journalism on the metro

Thessaloniki | Mary Drosopoulos | 17/1/2025

By combining investigative rigour with creative storytelling, local journalists in Thessaloniki have kept the public informed, but also ensured that the metro remains a shared civic concern, a story owned by the people as much as by the trains themselves

Open letter to Mr. Albin Kurti, President of Vetevendosje Movement and Prime Minister of Kosovo

| 13/1/2025

The undersigned media freedom organisations express concern about the decision of the Vetevendosje party to boycott some mainstream TV channels during the election period in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Albin Kurti

Press freedom groups in solidarity with journalists and media in Georgia

20/12/2024

The undersigned press freedom, freedom of expression, media, journalists and human rights organisations express solidarity towards journalists and media in Georgia

MEDIA Georgia, threats against the media

Tbilisi | Federico Baccini | 20/12/2024

Physical attacks, insults, obstacles at work, damage to equipment, arrests. In Georgia journalists have become a target of police violence during the street protests, while state broadcasters are accused of disinformation

Serbia: Urgent need for a swift investigation into intelligence invasive surveillance of journalists and sources

| 18/12/2024

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) join the SafeJournalists Network (SJN), in expressing serious concern over the revelations in Amnesty International's forensic analysis, exposing the invasive use of spyware and other digital tools by Serbian intelligence services and police to hack journalists' phones as part of a covert surveillance campaign

Urgent call on the European Union to react to the critical press freedom situation in Georgia

| 13/12/2024

OBCT and partner organisations express deep concern about the ongoing violence against journalists in Tbilisi in a joint letter to EU institutions

MEDIA Self-defence against SLAPPs in Serbia

Belgrade | Massimo Moratti | 11/12/2024

In Serbia, the investigative newspaper KRIK is the target of frequent legal harassment. To counteract it, the editorial team has developed strategies based on civil society solidarity, public denunciation and monitoring of trials

The Media Freedom Resource Centre   is an open online platform that facilitates quick and systematic access to an ever-growing collection of resources on media freedom and pluralism, such as region-wide and country-specific publication and practical tools for journalists, practitioners, policy makers. Whether you are journalist, a media expert or an organisation, use this crowd-sourcing platform to share and disseminate your materials!


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Building on a previous Wiki GLAM initiative, Wiki4MediaFreedom  aims at boosting the availability of accurate knowledge on media freedom and pluralism in Europe on Wikipedia. People who are willing to contribute, learn and help disseminate in languages other than English relevant information on these topics are very welcome to join!

Through a partnership between Index on Censorship, European Federation of Journalists and Reporters Without Borders Mapping Media Freedom  monitors and visualises the state of media freedom in Europe by crowdsourcing reports of violations and limitations from journalists and press freedom watchdogs. Get involved!

24 Vesti  Macedonia- The first Macedonian all news TV channel and on-line news provider
All the news      
Beta  Serbia- One of the main Serbian press agencies 
All the news
Bianet  Turkey- Independent press agency, with a special focus on civil society
All the news
Courrier des Balkans  France- The main French on-line news provider on South East Europe
All the news
Dilema Veche  Romania- Romania's main weekly, focusing on culture and social issues. It has both a paper and on-line version
All the news
H-Alter  Croatia- Independent on-line news provider, with a special focus on civil society
All the news
MediaCentar  Bosnia Herzegovina- Supporting the development of independent and professional journalism in Bosnia and Herzegovina
All the news
Mediapool  Bulgaria- Created in 2001, it is the oldest Bulgarian on-line news provider
All the news
Kosovo 2.0  Kosovo- is an online magazine which, since 2010, involves talented young media professionals in Kosovo. All content is published in Albanian, English and Serbian. It has 14.200 fans in Facebook and 4.900 Twitter followers
All the news
Radio Popolare  Italy- Broadcasting from Milan, Popolare is both a radio and a network of 17 of the Italian main radio stations covering among other Rome, Florence, Turin, Venice
All the news
Radio Študent  Slovenia - One of Europe's oldest and strongest independent and non-commercial urban radio stations
All the news
Shqiptarja  Albania- Independent media-group based in Tirana
All the news
Athens Live  Greece- Independent media, on-the-ground source for stories, news, and images from Athens and throughout Greece.
All the news
Vijesti  Montenegro- The main daily newspaper in Montenegro. It has both a paper and an on-line version. It started its publications in 1997 
All the news

 

Former partner of the network (2015-2016): The Press Project  Greece- Daily on-line news provider on Greece. Specialized in features and analyses
All the news

The project European Centre for Press and Media Freedom is co-funded by the European Commission