The European Parliament has repeatedly advocated press freedom and media pluralism in the EU and abroad.  World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO's General Conference. Since then, 3 May, the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day.

Already in 2018 the EP adopted a resolution on media pluralism and media freedom in the EU, noting the political developments in various members states, that have led to increased pressures on and threats against journalists.  The European Parliament has also launched the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism. 

The prize commends outstanding journalism revolving around the principles and values of the European Union. On the field of legislation, Parliament wants to reinforce protection of journalists and activists in the EU against unfounded and abusive lawsuits aimed to silence them. 

In response to growing threats to media freedom and the industry’s viability, MEPs adopted also their position on a law to strengthen the transparency and independence of EU media.  Parliament wants to oblige member states to ensure media plurality and protect media independence from governmental, political, economic or private interference. MEPs want to ban all forms of interference in the editorial decisions of media outlets and prevent external pressure being exerted on journalists, such as forcing them to disclose their sources, accessing encrypted content on their devices, or targeting them with spyware.