Final law contains exceptions, but not for national security reasons (representative)
The European Union will better protect journalists from political pressure and surveillance under an unprecedented media freedom law approved by the European Parliament on Wednesday.
The law includes protection of the confidentiality of journalists’ sources and a ban on the use of spyware against journalists.
The bill, which was voted in favor by 464 EU MPs, with 92 opposed and 65 abstaining, also provides for editorial independence and seeks to increase transparency in media ownership.
The law still needs to be approved by the 27 EU member states to take effect.
EU Commissioner for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova welcomed the “historic vote” and said on “.
Reports Without Borders (RSF), a media watchdog that advocates for the safety and independence of journalists, also welcomed the vote.
Julie Majerczak, director of Médecins Sans Frontières’ Brussels office, said: “The passage of this law marks an important step forward for the right to information within the EU.”
She called on EU member states to be “ambitious” in enforcing the law.
The European Commission proposed the draft text of the European Media Freedom Act in 2022 in response to the deteriorating media pluralism and independence in EU countries such as Hungary and Poland, as well as the situation where spyware such as Pegasus and Predator are used to target journalists.
Speaking at a debate on the law in the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday ahead of a vote, Jurova said the law’s provisions addressed “obvious problems” facing European media.
These include “government interference in editorial decisions, pressure on public service media, media surveillance of journalists, lack of transparency in media ownership and state advertising, or lack of coordination between media regulators”.
Sabine Verheyen, the lead lawmaker responsible for pushing the law through parliament, not only highlighted the “threat to media freedom in Hungary” but also highlighted a report by Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia on 16 October 2017. ) was murdered.
The then Prime Minister of Malta, Joseph Muscat, was forced to resign following massive protests over his actions to protect friends and allies during the ensuing investigation.
Three killers convicted of car bombings – Vincent Muscat (no relation to the former prime minister) and brothers George and Alfred DeGiorgio – were killed in 2021 and Sentenced to 15 and 40 years in prison in 2022.
Today, the European Parliament has a room named after Caruana Galizia and the annual journalism award is awarded in her name.
limited exceptions
During negotiations over the new law, France insisted on excluding “national security”, sparking concerns among journalists and media freedom groups.
Exceptions were included in the final law, but not for national security reasons and only in limited circumstances.
For example, spyware can only be deployed on devices used by journalists after a large number of serious breaches have been discovered and approved by a judicial or independent agency.
EU countries will also be required to ensure sustainable financing of public media organizations and introduce safeguards for news content published online.
The legislation contains provisions for the establishment of an independent European Commission composed of representatives of national regulators to examine cases where excessive concentration of media ownership may breach the rules.
The panel will make recommendations – non-binding recommendations – on media diversity.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
