MEPs are set to give their final green light on Wednesday to new legislation to protect EU journalists and media from political or economic interference. Plenary will discuss the draft European Media Freedom Act, agreed provisionally with the EU ministers in December 2023, on Tuesday afternoon. The new law will oblige member states to protect media independence from governmental, political, economic or private interference. It will ban all forms of interventions in editorial decisions and prevent the external pressuring of journalists to force them to disclose their sources or by targeting them with spyware. To increase media ownership transparency, all outlets regardless of their size will have to publish information about their owners and report on their receipt of state funding.

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

JOUROVÁ, Věra (EC)

freedom of press and media (T)

VERHEYEN, Sabine (EPP, DE)

EP Plenary session - European Media Freedom Act: Closing statements by Commission, Council and Sabine VERHEYEN (EPP, DE), Rapporteur

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sabine VERHEYEN (EPP, DE), -