Europe

Report: Media Freedom 'Crumbling' in Europe

APR 29 2025·Updated APR 30 2025

Story

Above: Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban and Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico arrive at a press conference after meeting at the Office of the Government of the Slovak Republic in Bratislava, Slovakia, on April 28, 2025. Image credit: Robert Nemeti/Contributor/Anadolu via Getty Images

The Facts

A report by the Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties), based on input from 43 human rights organizations in 21 EU member states, claims that media freedom across the EU is facing an "existential battle."
Belganewsagency.Eu
Liberties
Guardian
The report cites high media ownership concentration in Croatia, France, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden, with large segments of such media allegedly controlled by wealthy individuals or families.
Newsbook.Com.Mt
Liberties
Guardian
It names Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Malta, Slovenia, and Spain as countries where governments reportedly exert influence over national media by allocating state advertising funds that favor government-friendly outlets.
Liberties
Guardian
It is also claimed that journalists across the EU face increasing threats, including verbal attacks and police brutality during protests, while female journalists are disproportionately targeted in Bulgaria, Italy, Slovakia, and Sweden.
Belganewsagency.Eu
Liberties
Guardian
Additionally, it found that Freedom of Information requests are allegedly met with resistance or refusal from public officials in Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Malta, the Netherlands, and Spain, while hate speech against journalists is said to occur in Croatia, Germany, and Slovenia.
Greek City Times
Belganewsagency.Eu
Liberties
This comes as the EU's European Media Freedom Act, which aims to address threats to media freedom by protecting journalists and their sources and ensuring the independence of regulatory bodies, is set to be fully enforced by August.
Liberties
European Commission

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The Spin

Narrative A

The EU remains a global leader in defending media freedom. With the European Media Freedom Act now in force, journalists are better protected from interference, surveillance, and censorship. Editorial independence, transparency in ownership, and safeguards for public service media are all being strengthened. Europe is not perfect, but it is acting, and democracy is stronger for it.

Shaping Europe’s digital future

Narrative B

Media freedom in the EU is crumbling. Journalists continue to face threats, violence, and censorship as state funds propped up loyal outlets and public officials dodged accountability. As ownership concentrates and transparency fades, the press risks becoming a puppet, not a watchdog. Without urgent action, democracy in Europe is on borrowed time.

Euractiv

Liberties.eu