The European Commission has reiterated its support for media freedom ahead of World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, pointing to new EU rules and upcoming funding aimed at protecting journalists and supporting independent media.
The Commission said in a statement on Thursday that press freedom and media pluralism are “fundamental” principles of the European Union, and linked its stance to President Ursula von der Leyen’s political guidelines for 2024–2029.
It highlighted the European Media Freedom Act, saying most of the law’s provisions entered into force on 8 August 2025 and that it sets an EU-wide framework to protect media pluralism and independence, including safeguards for journalistic sources and confidential communications.
Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy, said the Commission would keep taking action to ensure journalists have “the protections, the resources, and the freedom” they need to do their work.
Michael McGrath, Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law, and Consumer Protection, declared journalists must be able to work “without fear — free from political interference and legal intimidation”.
Funding, disinformation and legal threats
The Commission also referenced its 2025 European Democracy Shield, which it said set out steps to support independent journalism, improve media literacy and counter disinformation across the EU, including through a new Media Resilience Programme.
It said it would update its Recommendation on the Safety of Journalists and introduce new actions to support the EU framework to combat abusive lawsuits against public participation, commonly referred to as SLAPPs.
The Commission said a future programme called AgoraEU would include a MEDIA+ strand budgeted at €3.2 billion to support media sectors, including audiovisual and news media.
It added that it continues to track media freedom and pluralism in member states through its annual Rule of Law Report.
