Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
On the occasion of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on 2 November, Josep Borrell, European Foreign Policy Coordinator and Vice-President of the European Commission Vera Jourova issued the following statement:
Journalists are our eyes and ears as they cover conflict zones. They risk their lives to provide accounts of what is happening on Earth. Their accurate and impartial media reporting serves an essential public interest: accounts, images, and news from the ground can have a decisive influence on the development and outcome of armed conflicts.
Thus, journalistic work is often deliberately obstructed in armed conflicts. Media professionals face denial of access, censorship, and harassment, as well as arbitrary detention and brutal attacks. In Ukraine, a number of journalists and media workers have been killed or injured, sometimes deliberately targeted, while documenting the truth about the atrocities committed by Russian forces in Putin's aggressive war against Ukraine. Their work is essential, as the Russian regime wages a global disinformation campaign about the realities of their war.

Deliberately directing attacks against journalists, as civilians, constitutes a war crime.

However, war zones are not the only places where journalists come under attack. Journalists around the world face increasing threats to their work. They are victims of hate crimes, online harassment, spyware targeting, and even murder.

We must end impunity for these crimes and uphold human rights and the rule of law by providing justice to the victims. Over the past 10 years, 80% of journalist murders worldwide have not been held accountable.

The European Union supports networks of journalists at risk and enhances the ability of journalists to work in hostile environments around the world. This includes the provision of protective and auxiliary equipment. Under the New Europe Global Program for Human Rights and Democracy, we are creating an Observatory to Combat Impunity to contribute to the collection and use of evidence and knowledge for advocacy and accountability at global, regional and national levels.

Journalists within the European Union can also face difficult conditions. Member states are expected to comply with the Committee's Recommendation on the Safety of Journalists adopted in 2021. Candidate states and their neighboring countries are also expected to adopt these standards.

The new Media Freedom Law aims to protect the independence and pluralism of the media and support journalists, enabling them to hold those in power accountable without fear or favour. The commission has also taken action to combat strategic claims against public participation, which have put pressure on and silenced journalists.

These legislative proposals should be adopted as soon as possible to improve the environment in which journalists and the media operate.

States must investigate and prosecute all criminal acts committed against journalists in an impartial, independent, effective, transparent and timely manner.

End impunity for crimes against journalists.

Justice must be served."

The Committee to Protect Journalists reminds us that no one has been held accountable for 80% of journalist murders over the past 10 years.
The growing number of physical, legal and online threats to journalists and other media workers in the European Union over the past years, is a worrying trend that is reflected in the Commission's rule of law reports. Physical attacks were reported in the context of public protests, and journalists in several member states were subjected to aggression by demonstrators, as well as in some cases by police forces. Online threats are on the rise across the European Union, with female and male minority journalists at particular risk.
This situation is particularly alarming when such attacks are carried out by politicians or powerful public figures.
On September 16, the European Commission adopted the European Media Freedom Act, a new set of rules to protect the pluralism and independence of the media in the European Union. The proposed regulation includes, among other things, safeguards against political interference in editorial decisions and against monitoring of journalists. This proposal complements the recently adopted Recommendation on the Protection, Safety and Empowerment of Journalists and the Directive on Protecting Journalists and Rights Defenders from Unfair Litigation (Anti-SLAPP Package).
The European Union works worldwide to contribute to the safety and protection of journalists by condemning attacks, as outlined in the European Union Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy 2020-2024. The EU assists those who are intimidated or threatened through the EU's protection mechanisms for human rights defenders, supports media initiatives and appeals to state authorities to prevent and condemn such violence and take effective measures to end impunity. EU delegations around the world attend and monitor cases that look into incidents involving journalists, helping to identify those issues that need special attention.
In December, we will invite human rights defenders, civil society and NGOs from around the world to the EU Human Rights and NGOs Forum dedicated to: Stop Impunity: The Path to Accountability and Justice. This will be an important opportunity to discuss more effective strategies together to promote accountability and justice