2025 will be a landmark year for media freedom in the European Union. On 8 August 2025, EU Member States will have to apply most of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) provisions, including Article 5 on safeguards for the independent functioning of public service media providers. The EBU puts forward that recommendations accompanying the Country chapters be tailored to the situation of each EU Member State and highlight the legal and technical gaps that must be addressed in order to correctly implement Article 5 EMFA in a timely manner.

In the context of country visits and dialogues with Member States, the European Commission should raise awareness of the provisions on the online safety of women journalists and other media professionals set out in Directive (EU) 2024/1385 on Combatting Violence against Women and Domestic Violence. This would pave the way for a timely transposition by EU Member States of this important legal instrument in the EU.

We also remain concerned about the use of intrusive surveillance tools against journalists and other media professionals by some EU Member States. Now that the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe has published its recent Report on Rule of Law and Human Rights Compliant Regulation of Spyware, the European Commission could more systematically and comprehensively assess whether minimum safeguards are in place in Member States and develop tailored recommendations to accompany the Country chapters of the 2025 Rule of Law Report.