The EU Parliament and EU member states agree on the content of a brand new media freedom law in the EU, EMFA.
– A historic step forward to protect journalism and media freedom, claims the parliament’s chief negotiator Sabine Verheyen at a press conference in Brussels.
The Media Freedom Act aims, among other things, to increase source protection, secure “sufficient” funding for public service companies and set stricter requirements for government advertising.
Most controversial, however, has been the question of whether states, with regard to national security, should be able to use “spyware” against journalists. According to a press release from the EU Council of Ministers, it is claimed that member states are prohibited from using “coercive measures” to obtain information about sources or secret communications, except in “specified cases”.
– No journalists must be spied on because they are doing their job, stresses EU Commissioner Vera Jourová at the press conference.
The settlement must now be confirmed by the EU Parliament and the EU Council of Ministers before EMFA can enter into force.