Rule of law report: the EU must use every tool at its disposal to force member states to respect press freedom
The fifth annual rule of law report once again highlights the threats to media independence and the safety of journalists in the European Union (EU)’s member states. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the European Commission to use all available means to oblige states to uphold press freedom, including withholding funds from those who don’t cooperate.
On Wednesday 24 July, the European Commission published its fifth report on the rule of law, which reveals “persistent concerns in EU Member States regarding the independence of public service media, the safety of journalists, the allocation of state advertising and the right of access to public documents.”
The institution's report, a preventative tool that is not legally binding, refers to RSF's 2024 World Press Freedom Index, which shows a deterioration in press freedom in the region. It noted a particular decline in Slovakia and Italy, and a stagnation of the situation in Greece, the lowest-ranked country in the EU, which comes in 88th place out of 180 countries.
“Too many EU Member States remain passive in the face of the decline in press freedom. Some, like Slovakia and Hungary, even threaten it. It is now urgent for the Commission to step up a gear in the face of the political and economic pressures on the journalists and media it identifies. RSF calls on the member states to comply swiftly with the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), the 2021 EU recommendation on the safety of journalists and the anti-SLAPP directive. RSF also urges the European Commission to make full use of its powers to force uncooperative states to act, in particular by launching infringement proceedings and making respect for the rule of law a condition for obtaining EU funds. The EU cannot continue to give money to governments that threaten press freedom. As the backbone of democracy, the defence of press freedom and the right to information deserves more than recommendations.
The report, which covers the 27 EU countries and four candidate countries in the Western Balkans, makes specific recommendations to 22 EU member states, calling on them to take measures to protect media freedom, independence and pluralism as well as the safety of journalists.
According to the Commission, 68% of the recommendations made in 2023 have been partially or fully implemented by the member states, yet RSF notes that these recommendations are insufficiently complied with in the countries where press freedom is severely undermined, such as Greece, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria. “Hungary is a real systemic problem for the Commission as far as the rule of law is concerned,” said Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice, when presenting the report on the rule of law at a press conference in Brussels on 24 July.
On 18 July, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced before the European Parliament that she wanted to make respect for the rule of law “a sine qua non for obtaining EU funds.”
