OpenLobby.EU
Explore

European Centre for Press and Media Freedom

ECPMF

The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) is a non-profit organisation that was founded in Leipzig, Germany, 2015.

Lobbying Activity

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.

Response to European Democracy Shield

26 May 2025

European Commissions proposed EU Democracy Shield initiative comes at a crucial time for media freedom and democracy in Europe. The lack of trust in democratic institutions, including public interest journalism,is creating a fertile ground for information manipulation.The pressures on media are coming from both within,by the rise of far-right, populist voices;and abroad. One of the main sources of the lack of trust in the media are political figures, who use smear campaigns and attacks to discredit journalists.This is why we cannot talk about trust in democratic institutions and media without addressing safety concerns for journalists. The existence of media is threatened by the lack of mechanisms to ensure economic sustainability.News publishers now face 70% decline in advertising revenue while being forced to pay VLOPs to promote their content to maintain readership and visibility.We call for mechanisms to rebalance power between news producers and platforms.This includes requiring platforms to provide fair compensation to media outlets for the journalistic content they use. Grants for media are becoming increasingly volatile.Shifting donor priorities and funding cuts across Europe and the US place public interest journalism at risk, opening space for disinformation to flourish.This is why the establishment of long-term,core funding mechanisms is crucial to secure the future of public interest journalism in Europe. Further on,in 2024 Europe saw a disturbing rise in threats against media workers.MapMF documented 1548 violations-a significant rise compared to 1153 violations in the previous year.Continued SLAPPs and increased threats of foreign agent laws are only some.To address this,we urge reinforced support for journalist associations,unions,and self-regulatory bodies,which are essential in building a safer media environment on a national level. This should be coupled with efforts to boost national journalist safety programs and the European Protection Mechanism to continue providing rapid,coordinated responses to threats and ensure consistent enforcement of EU recommendations and regulations. The EU should create a mechanism to deter governments from adopting foreign agent laws targeting media and civil society,and create strong safeguards against this practice within the EU and candidate countries.It should also ensure timely and proper transposition of the Anti-SLAPP Directive,by member states and candidate countries. AI presents a growing threat to journalistic sustainability and safety. GenAI is largely trained on the journalists work without consent or compensation.AI-generated content replaces original reporting and reduces traffic to trustworthy news sources.ECPMF reiterates calls for limiting Big Techs influence in decision-making processes,including in shaping AI regulation.AI regulation needs to ensure that human rights and authorship rights are prioritised. AI also introduces significant surveillance and disinformation risks.Spyware has been used to monitor journalists across Europe.To address this,the EU Democracy Shield should ensure a full implementation of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA),and enforce data protection laws to restrict the use of spyware and intrusive surveillance.The production and sale of spyware should be strictly regulated,with stern penalties for misuse. Though the effects of AI on journalism are still largely unknown,the Shield provides a unique opportunity to commit to raising awareness of the embedded weaknesses of AI models, such as their susceptibility to self-censorship,bias,and AI hallucinations,and educating the users,media,and governments on the risks AI poses. Finally,ECPMF calls for addressing spoofing, coordinated disinformation campaigns, and cyber deception by improved legislation and enforcement mechanisms to counter deceptive online content.Strong enforcement of platform due diligence is necessary to prevent the creation of coordinated disinformation networks.
Read full response

Meeting with Marie-Helene Boulanger (Head of Unit Justice and Consumers) and EBU-UER (European Broadcasting Union) and

22 May 2025 · Consultation of media representatives and associations in the context of the preparation of the upcoming European Democracy Shield (“focus group”).

Meeting with Henna Virkkunen (Executive Vice-President) and

25 Apr 2025 · Media freedom

Meeting with Jördis Ferroli (Cabinet of Commissioner Michael McGrath)

21 Mar 2025 · • Brief overview of the participants’ roles and responsibilities, highlighting key areas of expertise and focus for each attendee. • Brief discussion on state of play of EMFA implementation. • Information on the European Democracy Shield

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