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Committee to Protect Journalists

CPJ

The Committee to Protect Journalists promotes press freedom worldwide and defends journalists' right to report without fear of reprisal.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Giorgio Gori (Member of the European Parliament)

18 Nov 2025 · The state of human rights defenders in Tunisia

Meeting with Gesine Heinrich (Cabinet of Commissioner Marta Kos), Marko Makovec (Cabinet of Commissioner Marta Kos) and

11 Nov 2025 · Meeting with media organisations on media freedom in Serbia.

Meeting with Cecilia Strada (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

6 Nov 2025 · Discussion on the situation of Sonia Dahmani, a journalist imprisoned in Tunisia for exercising her right to freedom of expression

Meeting with Nathalie Loiseau (Member of the European Parliament, Committee chair)

4 Jun 2025 · Indépendance des médias et lutte contre la manipulation de l'information

Meeting with Gesine Heinrich (Cabinet of Commissioner Marta Kos), Veerle Nuyts (Cabinet of Commissioner Marta Kos)

8 May 2025 · Work of the Commission and the Committee to Protect Journalists in Serbia and Türkiye.

Meeting with Thomas Schmitz (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen)

24 Apr 2025 · Safety of Journalists

Meeting with Isabel Wiseler-Lima (Member of the European Parliament)

25 Mar 2025 · Exchange of views

Meeting with Raphaël Glucksmann (Member of the European Parliament) and Amnesty International Limited and Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies

7 Mar 2025 · MFA Egypt

Meeting with Veerle Nuyts (Cabinet of Commissioner Marta Kos) and European Federation of Journalists and International Press Institute

6 Mar 2025 · Exchange on the 2024 annual report of the Council of Europe Journalist Safety Platform

Meeting with Simona Constantin (Cabinet of Commissioner Michael McGrath) and ARTICLE 19

23 Jan 2025 · Exchange of views on the Democracy Shield and media policy

Meeting with Anna Herold (Head of Unit Communications Networks, Content and Technology) and Reporters sans frontières and

22 Jan 2025 · Exchange of views in the context of preparatory work on draft guidelines on Article 18(1) European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) to be issued by the European Commission under Article 18(9) of the EMFA. Anna Herold was replaced by Audrius Perkauskas

Meeting with Sophie Wilmès (Member of the European Parliament) and European Federation of Journalists

9 Dec 2024 · Rule of law - Press freedom

Meeting with Marie Frenay (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová)

24 Oct 2024 · EMFA and allocation of state advertising

Meeting with Marie Frenay (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová) and Reporters sans frontières

7 Oct 2024 · Media situation in Slovakia

Meeting with Anthony Whelan (Cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen), Charmaine Hili (Cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen)

19 Sept 2024 · on media freedom

Meeting with Marie Frenay (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová)

9 Sept 2024 · Media freedom

Meeting with Věra Jourová (Vice-President) and

26 Apr 2023 · Discuss findings of their latest report

Meeting with Daniel Freund (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and European Anti Poverty Network and Forum Civique Européen

12 Apr 2023 · Fundamental rights (staff level)

Meeting with Viola Von Cramon-Taubadel (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Transparency International Liaison Office to the European Union

30 Mar 2023 · SLAPPs

Meeting with Ramona Strugariu (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur for opinion) and Transparency International Liaison Office to the European Union and

26 Jan 2023 · Anti-SLAPP Directive

CPJ urges stronger source protection in Media Freedom Act

23 Jan 2023
Topic — The proposal seeks to safeguard media independence and pluralism across the EU.
Message — CPJ advocates for stricter limits on surveillance and better source protections. They request mandatory judicial authorization and a guaranteed right to encryption.12
Why — Reporters would obtain stronger legal immunity against official interference and surveillance.3
Impact — Local governments in small regions would lose their exemption from advertising rules.4
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Meeting with Věra Jourová (Vice-President)

30 Nov 2022 · European Media Freedom Act, Protection of journalists, Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation

Meeting with Marie Frenay (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová)

12 Oct 2022 · Protection of journalists, recent developments in Greece

Meeting with Marie Frenay (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová) and European Federation of Journalists and

8 Sept 2022 · European Media Freedom Act

Meeting with Marie Frenay (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová) and Reporters sans frontières and

20 Jul 2022 · European Media Freedom Act

Meeting with Marie Frenay (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová)

13 Jun 2022 · Safety of journalists

Meeting with Marie Frenay (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová)

16 Feb 2022 · Safety of journalists

Meeting with Didier Reynders (Commissioner) and

19 Jan 2022 · Rule of Law

Meeting with Věra Jourová (Vice-President) and ARTICLE 19

9 Dec 2021 · Safety of Journalists

Meeting with Věra Jourová (Vice-President) and Amnesty International Limited and

9 Nov 2021 · Rule of Law

Meeting with Marie Frenay (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová)

5 Oct 2021 · Safety of journalists

Response to Commission Recommendation on ensuring safety of journalists in the European Union

20 May 2021

A recommendation must be: i) permanent; ii) robust; iii) enforceable through member states; and iv) include systems for assessing the extent to which such a recommendation is impacting journalists on the ground. Competency: For real change to occur in the press freedom situations in member states, national authorities must undertake positive obligations to protect journalists and provide remedy for all abuses of press freedom. Some member states will refuse to; and the European Commission is often powerless to take action. The EU therefore finds itself in a complicated position given its competency. It has a choice: review the legal steps required to strengthen its competency and take action, or seek to promote good practice (but without any means to enforce such positive measures -or more importantly, to stop violations of journalists’ safety). The European Commission should consider its most ambitious approach possible by reviewing its own competency limits with a view to changing them. This is a rare opportunity to better defend journalists on the ground around Europe for generations to come. It should be taken, and made in line with the recently announced European Media Freedom Act. Existing standards: At the time of writing, it remains unclear how a European Commission Journalist Safety Recommendation would differ from the content of the Council of Europe Recommendation CM/Rec(2016)4 on the protection of journalism and safety of journalists and other media actors. Between 2022 and 2025, the Council of Europe’s Steering Committee on Media and Information Society (CDMSI) is set (pending Committee of Ministers’ approval) to oversee the Implementation Strategy of Recommendation CM/Rec(2016)4 and will further develop, promote and disseminate the Implementation Guide as a tool to boost the implementation of the recommendation. CDMSI will also provide guidance for the drafting of national action plans on the safety of journalists and other media actors. A new Recommendation from the European Commission should focus on how best to enforce these existing standards within EU member states, and avoid creating a parallel line of activities. The Commission should push for the implementation of the range of positive obligations that member states should undertake, and improve scrutiny of the implementation of such measures -with a view to improving comprehensive protection of journalists in the 27 member states. Other guides of existing standards relevant to the devising of a new recommendation (following the priorities outlined during the March structured dialogue and accompanying discussion papers) include: i) The OSCE Safety of Female Journalists Resource Guide; ii) The Council of Europe Recommendation CM/Rec(2013)1 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on gender equality and media and accompanying handbook. Enforceability: The European Commission should rapidly seek to strengthen the credibility and full independence of the Rule of Law Mechanism. Real change is related to making clear and targeted country-specific recommendations, and seeing their implementation, and the Annual Rule of Law Report should seek to make such recommendations. By making joint recommendations relating to policy, practice and legislation to member states, journalists and media experts can start to push nationally for remedy to existing flaws. The European Commission should disseminate clear communications and outreach strategies of the national consultations in member states widely to civil society and journalists to increase participation. The Rule of Law Mechanism should be the perfect vehicle for assessing real implementation of the future journalist safety recommendation -but only a candid discussion with recommendations can lead to real change. European Commission representations in member states could, in line with a developed Rule of Law Mechanism, facilitate the implementation of the journalist safety recommendation.
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Meeting with Alvaro De Elera (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová), Marie Frenay (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová), Simona Constantin (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová)

21 Jan 2021 · Rule of Law report/mechanism

Meeting with Alvaro De Elera (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová), Marie Frenay (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová), Simona Constantin (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová)

21 Jan 2021 · Rule of Law report/mechanism

Meeting with Věra Jourová (Vice-President) and Reporters sans frontières and

1 Dec 2020 · Media freedom, EDAP

Meeting with Margrethe Vestager (Executive Vice-President) and International Press Institute and Global Forum for Media Development

29 Oct 2020 · State Aid in Hungary

Meeting with Didier Reynders (Commissioner) and

22 Jul 2020 · Anti-SLAPPs measures

Meeting with Věra Jourová (Vice-President) and

8 May 2020 · Protecting journalists and freedom of expression

Meeting with Věra Jourová (Vice-President) and

20 Apr 2020 · Freedom of press and rights of journalists

Meeting with Kevin O'Connell (Cabinet of Commissioner Věra Jourová)

6 Jun 2018 · Media freedom in the EU

Meeting with Věra Jourová (Commissioner) and

10 Apr 2018 · Media freedom, whistleblower protection

Meeting with Frans Timmermans (First Vice-President)

10 Apr 2018 · Freedom of speech and protection of journalists

Meeting with Michael Doczy (Cabinet of Vice-President Johannes Hahn)

17 Oct 2017 · Ukraine