The MFRR Summit 2025 brings together journalists, policymakers, and civil society to address the urgent challenges facing press freedom in Europe. From disinformation and digital threats to shrinking media markets and political pressure, journalism is under strain, and journalists need stronger protection and support.

This year’s Summit feeds into EU Democracy Shield policy discussions and highlights journalism as vital democratic infrastructure. Drawing on MFRR’s monitoring, missions, and policy work, the event will explore five key pillars of media resilience: economic viability, safety, legal protection, AI governance, and implementation of safeguards.

More programme details are coming soon. Registration opens on 11 August. Stay tuned!

Welcoming Message

09:00 – 09:10 CET

Opening Keynote

09:10 – 09:30 CET

Panel 1: Media Economy Under Pressure: How to Ensure Economic Viability

09:30 – 10:30 CET

From platform  ad monopolies and collapsing business models to biased state funding and increased far-right influence,  today’s public interest media sector is economically destabilised. This panel will address urgent issues and  spotlight policy solutions: market reform, including reformed copyright, tax incentives, direct support with  safeguards, and breaking VLOP dependency. 

Alina Păduraru ↦

Executive Manager at Recorder

 

Anna Herold

Head of the Audiovisual and Media Services Policy Unit at the European Commission

 

Sarah Murphy Madia

Journalist and Policy Lead at What to Fix

 

Salla Nazarenko ↦

International Affairs Specialist at Suomen Journalistiliitto

 

Moderated by Renate Schroeder ↦

Director at the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)

Panel 2: Unsafe to Report. Why Journalists Keep Looking Over Their Shoulders

10:45 – 11:45 CET

Mapping  1,500+ press freedom violations in 2024 (MFRR Monitoring Report), this panel focuses on states where  enforcement is failing, and threats are escalating – from police violence at protests to online smear  campaigns and digital intimidation, often initiated or supported by power holders themselves. Discussion  will zoom into the MFRR findings from its recent on-the-ground missions, highlighting the most urgent  safety issues and discussing possible solutions.  

Irma Dimitradze ↦

Communications Manager and Journalist at Batumelebi and Netgazeti

 

Hamdi Firat Buyuk

Journalist and Political Analyst, Balkan Insight

 

Valentina Grippo

General Rapporteur on Media Freedom and Safety of Journalists, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

 

Wael Eskandar ↦

Freelance tech specialist, writer and photographer 

 

Yanis Mhamdi

Investigative reporter at Blast

 

Moderated by Ena Bavčić

EU Advocacy Officer  at the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)

Panel 3: Spoofing, Surveillance, Spyware. Journalists against Digital Threats

13:00 – 14:00 CET

AI is reshaping  journalism in multiple ways; while some are helpful, others are an imminent threat. AI and other advanced  digital tools are used to erode trust, funding, and safety of journalists. Experts and journalists will address  digital threats and discuss how to mitigate them via policies and structural support to journalists. 

Ana Lalić Hegediš ↦

Executive Director at the Independent Journalists’ Association of Vojvodina (NDNV)

 

Francesco Cancellato

Editor-in-chief at FanPage

 

Molly Cyr ↦

Digital Forensics Lead at Amnesty International

 

Joanna Tricoli ↦

Policy and Research Officer at the Centre for Democracy and Technology Europe

 

Sarah Thust ↦

Journalist at the Fact-checking Team at CORRECTIV

 

Moderated by Dimitri Bettoni ↦

Researcher at Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT)

Panel 4: Legal Protections. EMFA, Anti-SLAPP Directive: Implementation Highlights and Challenges

14:15 – 15:15 CET

With the Anti-SLAPP Directive and EMFA passed, the real battle is in national transposition.  MFRR will ground this discussion into its close observations of challenges that implementation of the  protective laws faces and the developments on the ground in regards to the new legislation and  regulations. How do we ensure that the “good” laws make real change in safeguarding free and  independent journalists? 

Marius Dragomir ↦

Director at Media and Journalism Research Center

 

Danai Maragoudaki ↦

Journalist at Solomon

 

Flutura Kusari

Senior Legal Advisor at the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)

 

Dora Kršul

Investigative Journalist, Telegram, Croatia

 

Moderated by Oliver Money-Kyrle ↦

Head of Europe Advocacy and Programmes at International Press Institute (IPI)

Ukraine Spotlight Interview

15:30 – 16:00 CET

Moderated by Antanina Maslyka ↦

Regional Director for Europe at ARTICLE 19

Panel 5: The Authoritarian Playbook. Foreign Agent Laws in the EU’s Shadow

16:15 – 17:15 CET

While protective regulations face implementation challenges, other laws, with potential to seriously  damage media freedom and modeled after Russian “foreign agents law”, are mushrooming across Europe.  From Hungary to Georgia, “foreign interest” rhetoric is creeping into policy. This panel tackles how the  spread of “foreign agent laws” and hostile „foreign influence” rhetoric are being weaponised to stigmatise  and pressure critical journalists, ultimately threatening media freedom and democratic participation. 

Tamás Bodoky

Journalist, Editor and Publisher at Atlatszo.hu

 

Lia Chakhunashvili ↦

Executive Director of the Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics

 

Ivana Korajlić

Executive Director at Transparency International in Bosnia and Herzegovina

 

Ana Lalić Hegediš ↦

Executive Director at the Independent Journalists’ Association of Vojvodina (NDNV)

 

Moderated by Flutura Kusari

Senior Legal Advisor at the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)

Closing remarks

17:15 – 18:30 CET

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

MFRR