Media Freedom Monitoring Report 2025

Europe’s media freedom landscape faced sustained pressure in 2025, with attacks on journalists, legal harassment, and political interference continuing across the continent. The new MFRR Monitoring Report 2025 documents the scale and patterns of these threats, drawing on verified cases recorded in the Mapping Media Freedom database.

18.02.2026

Between January and December 2025, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) documented 1,481 press freedom violations affecting 2,377 media-related persons or entities across 36 countries. The report covers all 27 EU Member States as well as nine countries with EU candidate status, offering one of the most comprehensive snapshots of media freedom conditions in Europe.

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The findings reveal persistent problems that cut across borders and political systems. Verbal attacks, smear campaigns, and intimidation remained the most frequently recorded violations. Digital threats continued to rise, while political actors were increasingly identified as sources of pressure against journalists. In several countries, the data points to deep-rooted structural issues rather than isolated incidents.

The report is structured in four main parts. It opens with a general overview of trends and key statistics, followed by three thematic chapters examining the impunity of crimes against journalists, the spread of foreign agent laws and narratives, and the ongoing use of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs). The final sections provide detailed country analyses, including case studies from EU Member States and candidate countries where risks to press freedom are particularly acute.

By combining quantitative data with qualitative analysis, the Monitoring Report offers policymakers, journalists, and civil society a clearer picture of how threats to media freedom evolve across Europe. It also highlights areas where stronger safeguards, accountability, and legal protections are urgently needed.

The report has been compiled by the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), and the International Press Institute (IPI) as part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) project, co-financed by the European Commission.

Types of attacks in EU Member States in 2025
Types of attacks in candidate countries in 2025

Types of attacks in EU Member States in 2025

Types of attacks in candidate countries in 2025

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EU: MFRR contributes to European Union annual Rule of…

EU: MFRR contributes to European Union annual Rule of Law report

MFRR partners share a statement condemning the threats and attacks against journalists and media workers when covering demonstrations and protests in Germany, France, Slovenia, Greece, Spain, Poland and Italy. The MFRR calls for increased protection for media freedom across Europe from protestors, unknown 3rd parties and police officers to ensure they are free to continue their work informing the public.

27.01.2026

MFRR organisations provided submissions on 15 EU Member States and candidate countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia and Spain.

Submissions on media freedom and pluralism provided updates about implementation and lack thereof of recommendations from the 2025 Rule of Law report, new legislative or regulatory developments, as well as cases of attacks and threats against journalists and media.

In the year that the EU’s European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) came into full force, the submissions provided detailed updates on the mixed picture for the implementation of the EU regulation across the bloc.

Data was provided from the MFRR’s Mapping Media Freedom (MapMF) platform, which is the largest public database of violations of press and media freedom in Europe. MapMF recorded 1481 press freedom violations affecting 2377 journalists and other media professionals across the European Union member states and candidate countries during 2025.

Submissions for the report also provided key information gathered by MFRR partner organisations during fact-finding and advocacy missions to EU countries throughout the past year. Information was also provided on cases of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), as part of MFRR partner’s regular monitoring.

Ahead of the preparation of the annual report, MFRR partners again call for the report to include significantly strengthened and more detailed recommendations for reform in country chapters, especially those facing systemic attacks on media freedom and pluralism, with recommendations tied to strong enforcement mechanisms in case of non-implementation.

Our organisations again stress that the findings of the report must act as the foundation for sustained action to safeguard EU values and push for strong implementation of the European Media Freedom Act, and feed into the development of the European Democracy Shield. Submissions by MFRR partners will be published and publicly available on the report website.

This rule of law submission was coordinated by the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and Candidate Countries. Submissions were coordinated under the MFRR but submitted by individual consortium partners.

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Poland: Media Capture and EMFA Monitoring Report 2025

The International Press Institute (IPI) and the Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC) today publish a new report examining media capture in Poland in 2025 and the country’s compliance with the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA).

16.12.2025

The report – the eighth in a new series of Media Capture Monitoring Reports for 2025 – reviews developments regarding media capture and control in Poland over the past year and assesses the country’s compliance with EMFA since the EU Commission’s regulation entered into full force in August 2025.

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It concludes that EMFA has not yet been incorporated into Poland’s national media legislation. Following the October 2023 elections which raised hopes for the re-democratisation of public service media, a fairer distribution of state advertising, and stronger measures to promote media plurality, the current coalition government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk has still not advanced with the amendment to the media law that would align national regulation with EMFA’s key principles.

Facing the obstacle of a presidential veto, much of the government’s overall media reform agenda has stalled or been limited, undermining broader media freedom progress.

Examining these issues in detail, the report provides recommendations on a variety of measures and policies necessary to address media capture in Poland and create a free, pluralistic and democratic media ecosystem, in line with EMFA provisions

This report is part of a broader series covering seven other EU countries: Bulgaria, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Spain.

IPI and MJRC will also publish an overview report, summarising major developments across the EU in the past year.

These reports are intended as a vital resource for media rights organizations, civil society groups, policymakers, and advocates dedicated to monitoring and fostering media freedom across the EU.

Download the Report

EXPLORE THE METHODOLOGY

For more information or media inquiries, please contact:

Jamie Wiseman, Senior Europe Advocacy Officer – IPI, jwiseman@ipi.media
Marius Dragomir, Project Editor – MJRC, mdragomir@journalismresearch.org

This report was coordinated by IPI as part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and Candidate Countries.

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MFRR Summit 2025 report on media freedom in Europe

MFRR Summit 2025 Report on Media Freedom in Europe

This report offers a recap of the discussions and key takeaways from the MFRR Summit 2025. This year’s Summit fed into EU Democracy Shield policy discussions, highlighting journalism as vital democratic infrastructure. Drawing on MFRR’s monitoring, missions, and policy work, the event explored five key pillars of media resilience: economic viability, safety, legal protection, AI governance, and implementation of safeguards.

10.12.2025

The summit took place on October 13, in Brussels, and this report documents how journalists and media outlets across EU member states and candidate countries are confronting mounting economic pressure, legal harassment, physical and digital attacks, and threats emerging as a result of changing digital space. Drawing on five thematic panels and a special focus on Ukraine, it connects on-the-ground monitoring with concrete policy debates on issues such as the European Media Freedom Act, anti-SLAPP measures, spyware, and foreign agent laws, offering both an overview of violations and a roadmap for strengthening journalism as a vital part democratic processes.

Read the Report

This report was coordinated by the ECPMF and IPI as part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and Candidate Countries.

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Spain: Media Capture Monitoring Report 2025

The International Press Institute (IPI) and the Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC) today publish a new report examining the level of media capture in Spain and the country’s compliance with the new European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) in 2025.

05.12.2025

The report – the seventh in a series of Media Capture Monitoring Reports for 2025 – reviews developments regarding media capture in Spain and assesses the country’s compliance with EMFA since the EU Commission’s regulation entered into full force in August 2025.

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While other reports in the series are an update from the 2024 report, Spain is the newest country added to the series and provides a new assessment of media capture in the country through IPI and MJRC’s methodology.

The Spanish report focuses on EMFA elements directly addressing media capture: the independence of public service media and of media regulators, the misuse of state funds to influence media, and ensuring ownership transparency and media pluralism.

The report examines the standards prescribed by law and how they are currently implemented in practice. It also sets out the areas of reform needed to bring the country into line with EMFA while also making recommendations for where reform can go further.

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EXPLORE THE METHODOLOGY

For more information or media inquiries, please contact:

Jamie Wiseman, Senior Europe Advocacy Officer – IPI, jwiseman@ipi.media
Marius Dragomir, Project Editor – MJRC, mdragomir@journalismresearch.org

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Finland: Media Capture Monitoring Report 2025

The International Press Institute (IPI) and the Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC) today publish a new report examining media capture in Finland in 2025 and the country’s compliance with the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA).

04.12.2025

The report – the sixth in a new series of Media Capture Monitoring Reports for 2025 – reviews developments regarding EMFA in Finland – a country with one of one of the healthiest climates for press freedom in the world.

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While other country reports in the series so far highlight engrained challenges for media capture and either slow or delayed implementation of EMFA, Finland is among the EU countries to have made the most progress on aligning domestic laws with provisions laid out under EMFA and offers a positive example of EU-mandated media reform.

Overall, the Finnish media ecosystem does not suffer from media capture due to a combination of strong legislation, forceful regulatory systems and healthy political and business practices.

Instead, due to its strong track record in media, communication, and democracy, Finland is often classified as a “media welfare state,” where communication services are traditionally regarded as public goods and editorial independence is actively encouraged – significantly limiting the space for the problematic capture and control of media.

Implementation on EMFA in Finland started back in October 2024 has since resulted in the adoption of the Act on the Supervision of Media Markets and several amendments to existing laws, designed to ensure compliance with EMFA’s core provisions while introducing minimal additional changes.

The report concludes that, in practice, this implementation in Finland has resulted in targeted additions to national legislation that ensure compliance without extending regulation beyond the scope of EMFA’s main provisions.

This report is part of a broader series covering seven other EU countries: Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Spain.

IPI and MJRC will also publish an overview report, summarising major developments across the EU in the past year. The next reports will be published in the coming weeks.

These reports are intended as a resource for media rights organizations, civil society groups, policymakers, and advocates dedicated to monitoring and fostering media freedom across the EU.

Download the Report

EXPLORE THE METHODOLOGY

For more information or media inquiries, please contact:

Jamie Wiseman, Senior Europe Advocacy Officer – IPI, jwiseman@ipi.media
Marius Dragomir, Project Editor – MJRC, mdragomir@journalismresearch.org

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Slovakia: Media Capture Monitoring Report 2025

The International Press Institute (IPI) and the Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC) today publish a new report examining media capture in Slovakia in 2025 and the country’s compliance with the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA).

28.11.2025

The report – the fifth in a new series of Media Capture Monitoring Reports for 2025 – reviews developments regarding media capture and control in Slovakia over the past year and assesses the country’s compliance with EMFA since the EU Commission’s regulation entered into full force in August 2025.

Download the Report

It concludes that though legislation adopted in 2025 addressed some areas of the EMFA, the regulation has only been partially adopted, and major overhaul of the public broadcaster by the coalition government of Prime Minister Robert Fico directly violated EMFA rules on independent public service broadcasting.

With the explicit political aim of capturing public service broadcasting, the government dissolved the public broadcaster RTVS and established a new entity, STVR, which is controlled exclusively by pro-government appointees. By 2025, these appointees had already implemented measures demonstrating that the direction of reform was toward a less independent and more politically captured broadcaster, in clear violation of the EMFA.

Examining these developments in detail, the report provides recommendations on a variety of measures and policies necessary to address media capture in Slovakia and create a free, pluralistic and democratic media ecosystem, in line with EMFA provisions.

This report is part of a broader series covering seven other EU countries: Bulgaria, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Spain.

IPI and MJRC will also publish an overview report, summarising major developments across the EU in the past year. The next reports will be published in the coming weeks

These reports are intended as a vital resource for media rights organizations, civil society groups, policymakers, and advocates dedicated to monitoring and fostering media freedom across the EU.

Download the Report

EXPLORE THE METHODOLOGY

For more information or media inquiries, please contact:

Jamie Wiseman, Senior Europe Advocacy Officer – IPI, jwiseman@ipi.media
Marius Dragomir, Project Editor – MJRC, mdragomir@journalismresearch.org

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Romania: Media Capture Monitoring Report 2025

The International Press Institute (IPI) and the Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC) today launch the fourth in a new series of Media Capture Monitoring Reports for 2025, this time putting the focus on Romania.

26.11.2025

The report reviews developments regarding media capture in Romania in 2025 and the country’s compliance with the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) since the EU Commission’s regulation entered into full force in August.

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It concludes that Romania has yet to implement any elements of EMFA. Although the Ministry of Culture initiated some consultations with other institutional stakeholders and some non-governmental organizations, no official draft legislation has been put forward so far.

Download the Report

EXPLORE THE METHODOLOGY

For more information or media inquiries, please contact:

Jamie Wiseman, Senior Europe Advocacy Officer – IPI, jwiseman@ipi.media
Marius Dragomir, Project Editor – MJRC, mdragomir@journalismresearch.org

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Greece: Media Capture Monitoring Report 2025

The International Press Institute (IPI) and the Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC) today launch the third in a new series of Media Capture Monitoring Reports for 2025, this time putting the spotlight on Greece.

18.11.2025

The report reviews developments regarding media capture in the Mediterranean country in 2025 and examines Greece’s compliance with the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) since the EU Commission’s regulation entered into full force in August.

Download the Report

It concludes that Greece has only taken limited steps towards aligning its legislation and practice with its provisions. While some legal frameworks already partially comply with EMFA requirements, core problems persist across regulation, public service media, and funding.

The report provides detailed recommendations on a variety of measures and policies necessary to address media capture in Greece and create a free, pluralistic and democratic media ecosystem, in line with EMFA provisions.

This report is part of a broader series covering seven other EU countries: Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Spain.

IPI and MJRC will also publish an overview report, summarising major developments across the EU in the past year. The next reports will be published over the following weeks.

These reports are intended as a vital resource for media rights organizations, civil society groups, policymakers, and advocates dedicated to monitoring and fostering media freedom across the EU.

Download the Report

EXPLORE THE METHODOLOGY

For more information or media inquiries, please contact:

Jamie Wiseman, Senior Europe Advocacy Officer – IPI, jwiseman@ipi.media
Marius Dragomir, Project Editor – MJRC, mdragomir@journalismresearch.org

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Bulgaria: Media Capture Monitoring Report 2025

The International Press Institute (IPI) and the Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC) today launch the second in a series of Media Capture Monitoring Reports for 2025, examining the state of play in Bulgaria.

14.11.2025

The report reviews developments regarding media capture in the country in 2025 and examines Bulgaria’s compliance with the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) since the EU Commission’s regulation entered into full force in August.

Download the Report

It concludes that Bulgaria has made no tangible progress since EMFA came into force. Although a cross-ministerial and institutional working group was previously established and made some initial progress, its suspension stalled much needed reforms. While the Ministry of Culture has said a new working group has been formed to implement EMFA reforms to the Radio and Television Act, no information has been provided about plans for wider implementation of any other Articles of EMFA and the timeline for additional reforms remains unclear.

The report provides detailed recommendations on a variety of measures and policies necessary to address media capture in Bulgaria and create a free, pluralistic and democratic media ecosystem, in line with EMFA provisions.

This report is part of a broader series covering seven other EU countries: Finland, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Spain. IPI and MJRC will also publish an overview report, summarising major developments across the EU in the past year. The next reports will be published over the following weeks.

These reports are intended as a vital resource for media rights organizations, civil society groups, policymakers, and advocates dedicated to monitoring and fostering media freedom across the EU.

EXPLORE THE METHODOLOGY

For more information or media inquiries, please contact: