Μπορεί η ΕΕ να εφαρμόσει τον νέο της νόμο για την ελευθερία του Τύπου;
Η ελευθερία του Τύπου αποτελεί θεμελιώδη πυλώνα της δημοκρατίας, αλλά έχει μειωθεί σε αρκετά κράτη μέλη της ΕΕ. Από τον Αύγουστο, οι κυβερνήσεις πρέπει να εφαρμόσουν πλήρως την πράξη για την ελευθερία των μέσων ενημέρωσης, αλλά ορισμένες αντιστέκονται στον πρώτο κανονισμό της ΕΕ που αφορά τον Τύπο.
02:29At the end of the last decade, two investigative journalists have been killed, Jan Kuciak in Slovakia and Daphne Korana Galicia in Malta.
02:39And this was a wake-up call for the European Union that the media freedom was in danger.
02:45But this was only the tip of the iceberg because the commission saw that media freedom is declining in almost all of the member states because of political pressure, because of business interests and because of spyware being used against journalists.
03:03Let's talk about those cases of spyware against journalists. What happened and how can this law address those issues?
03:12Well, the most serious breaches have been recorded in Poland and in Hungary, where opposition figures, investigative journalists have been targeted by spyware.
03:25They hacked their phones, and this was clearly for political reasons. There have been cases also in Greece and in Spain, but those cases have not been a systemic risk against the opposition and against journalists.
03:40Now the new law says that spyware can only be used against journalists when there is a threat for the national security. Otherwise, this is forbidden.
03:50In a recent debate in the European Parliament about this law, three hard-right political groups said, and I quote,
03:58this is a censorship tool used by Brussels to silence divergent voices. Which countries are more likely to resist the implementation of the law?
04:07Well, we surely see a problem in Hungary, where we have a very hard-right government who is heavily influencing media and distorting the media market.
04:18What might change is also depends on, you know, how each and every member state applies this law and how the European Commission will put pressure on the member states to really take this law seriously.
04:32The 2025 Rule of Law Report from the European Commission warns of deteriorating conditions for journalists in several countries,
04:42smear campaigns by politicians, and growing risks from highly concentrated media ownership.
04:47Going into details, the Commission highlights concerns about journalists' safety in Bulgaria and Malta.
04:54The report points out that political pressure, including the distribution of state advertising, is a serious concern in Hungary and Romania,
05:02media, media ownership lacks transparency chiefly in Bulgaria, Checha, Netherlands, Cyprus and Spain.
05:09The report cites issues with independent regulation in Hungary, Greece and Poland.
05:16Our guest is Julie Marzerzak, head of Brussels Office of Reporters Without Borders.
05:22Should the European Commission open infringement proceedings that could even lead to sanctions
05:30against member states that resist implementing this new law?
05:35Member states have had more than a year to update their national laws, but most of them haven't yet done it.
05:45So, yes, I think it is time for the Commission to show its determination and, if necessary,
05:54to initiate proceedings against the most recalcitrant government.
05:59It's a test of credibility.
06:03Social media and the use of generative artificial intelligence, including in posts by political and business actors themselves,
06:14are increasingly defined the way people get news.
06:17So, isn't this law weak in addressing the problem of misinformation through those channels?
06:25There is one article in the MFA which supplements the Digital Services Act,
06:33but this doesn't solve the main problem, which is how social networks and their algorithm work
06:42by promoting, polarizing, divisive, shocking content, amplifying disinformation and marginalizing reliable media content.
06:54Concentration of media ownership in a few big corporations is increasing.
07:00What are the main risks of that and does this law address those risks?
07:05The EMFA introduces a new way to look at mergers.
07:10The assessment of mergers will have to take into account a number of criteria,
07:16such as the expected effect on pluralism and the party's interest in other media sectors,
07:25the economic viability and the party's commitments to editorial independence.
07:31The European Federation of Journalists stated that influencers and bloggers that follow the ethical rules of journalism
07:39should be considered media service providers.
07:43Others argued that this could lead to abuse of a law designed for controlled and recognized media outlets.
07:50The future seems somehow misty for the media sector and the law intended to protect it.
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