Free and independent media is a key pillar of democracy, but recently, worrying trends have emerged across Europe. In response, a new legal instrument was adopted at EU level - the European Media Freedom Act - which came into force on 7 May 2024. Most of its provisions will be applicable by 8 August 2025.

The F.R.E.I.H.E.I.T project (Fact-checking & Reliable European Information to Help Europe Integrate Together) aims to address foreign interference in European media. Through fact-checked, independent editorial production, freelance journalists from Europe and the Eastern Neighbourhood are working to combat disinformation and promote reliable information.

Media freedom remains under pressure in many Eastern Neighbourhood countries. Critics claim that Georgia struggles with disinformation, Moldova faces news bias, and Russian propaganda is replicated in Azerbaijan. There are also reports of an increase in disinformation in Armenia, and a deterioration of free speech in Belarus.

Listen to this Euractiv Virtual Conference to discuss the state of media freedom in Europe. Journalists from the F.R.E.I.H.E.I.T project, reporting from Eastern Europe, will bring their on-the-ground experience to the conversation. Some questions to be addressed include:

- What are the most pressing challenges to media freedom within the EU, and how do they differ from those in the Eastern Neighbourhood?
- Does the European Media Freedom Act adequately address these issues? What improvements could be made?
- How can EU countries provide more support to Eastern Neighbourhood journalists facing media freedom challenges?
- How can EU-Eastern Neighbourhood collaboration be strengthened to combat shared disinformation threats?

The sole responsibility for any content supported by the European Media and Information Fund lies with the author(s) and it may not necessarily reflect the positions of the EMIF and the Fund Partners, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the European University Institute.