Press and media freedoms are increasingly at risk. After its first edition (March 2020-March 2021), the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) has been confirmed for the third year, this time covering a period of 18 months, from May 2022 till November 2023: it monitors violations in all EU Member States and Candidate Countries and documents them on the Mapping Media Freedom platform.
Furthermore, the MFRR provides practical and direct support to journalists and media workers who are at risk due to their work through emergency funds, legal aid, training, and shelter programmes. MFRR partners also carry out advocacy missions and awareness-raising campaigns to secure a wider engagement in European civil society with issues related to press and media freedom.
Within the project, OBCT makes further use of its Resource Centre on Media Freedom to support evidence-informed policymaking and advocacy, and supports QCode Mag in managing the programme Journalists-in-Residence Milan.
Impunity Day: MFRR renews urgent call for justice for murdered journalists around Europe
| 3/11/2025To mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on November 2, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) honours the memory of those who have lost their lives in the pursuit of truth and demands justice for the crimes committed against them
Report: Fragile media freedom progress in Bulgaria at risk of backsliding without urgent reform
| 29/10/2025The partner organisations of the Council of Europe's Safety of Journalists Platform and the Media Freedom Rapid Response have released the media freedom report on Bulgaria following a three-day fact-finding mission that took place from 24 to 26 September
MEDIA On the frontlines of truth: Bosnian experience and Russian influence
Anna Romandash | 28/10/2025In Bosnia and Herzegovina, where politics often resembles an endless electoral campaign, a small community of fact checkers has become accustomed to working under pressure. Echoes between Sarajevo and Kyiv
MEDIA Media freedom, a prerequisite for EU enlargement
Serena Epis | 28/10/2025To advance in their European integration path, Western Balkan candidate countries must ensure media freedom and pluralism. For Montenegro and North Macedonia, this means moving beyond formal commitments and proving through concrete actions that democratic reforms are more than words on paper
MEDIA Montenegro: public service hostage to cronyism
Zoran Radulović | 22/10/2025Following the recent conviction for abuse of office of the President and three members of the Radio and Television of Montenegro (RTCG) Council, controversy continues over the appointment of Boris Raonić as director of the Montenegrin public broadcaster
Car bomb attack on investigative journalist Sigfrido Ranucci rings alarm for media freedom in Italy
| 17/10/2025OBCT joins the undersigned journalists and media freedom organisations in strongly condemning the car bomb attack on one of Italy’s leading investigative journalist and his family. We welcome the opening of an investigation by the Anti-Mafia Investigation Division and call for an urgent assessment of the effectiveness of the protective measures applied to the journalist
Call on President von der Leyen to address media freedom crisis in the Western Balkans
| 13/10/2025Against the backdrop of a rapidly worsening media freedom crisis across the region, most prominently in Serbia, a coalition of international media freedom, journalists’ and freedom of expression organizations calls on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to raise the threats to the protection of journalists and media pluralism with the respective authorities during her visit to the Western Balkans this week (13-16 October)
HUMAN RIGHTS Jailed journalists turn the spotlight on Azerbaijan’s prisons
Arzu Geybullayeva | 1/10/2025Since November 2023, around thirty journalists have been arrested in Azerbaijan. From behind bars, these journalists have revealed the appalling conditions of the prison system, something previously impossible to do due to limited access to information
A call on Italy to suspend EU-Israel Association Agreement
30/9/2025OBCT joined other free expression organizations in addressing the Italian leadership, calling for the suspension of the EU–Israel Association Agreement
Bulgaria: Press Freedom Undermined by Political Polarisation and Delayed Reforms
26/9/2025Media freedom in Bulgaria faces entrenched challenges in a climate of political polarisation and legislative inertia, with urgent action needed by government and public authorities to push forward both domestic and EU-mandated reforms, a coalition of international press freedom organisations said today
Bulgaria: Mission to examine media freedom and independent journalism
23/9/2025OBCT joins international coalition for media freedom mission to Bulgaria
Open Letter on Improving Journalists’ Access to the Albanian Parliament
19/9/2025MFRR partners and free expression organizations urge the Albanian Parliament to drop plans restricting journalists’ access and to protect media freedom
Ukraine: Demand for justice from Russia one year after death of Victoria Roshchyna
19/9/2025September 19 marks one year since the death of Victoria Roshchyna, a Ukrainian journalist who had been held for over a year in Russian captivity. On this day, MFRR partners remember Victoria and demand justice for her death from Russian authorities
Georgia: Media Freedom groups condemn latest attacks on journalists by ruling party activists and police
12/9/2025The undersigned media freedom, journalists’, and freedom of expression organizations strongly condemn the recent physical and verbal attacks on independent media by activists of the Georgian Dream ruling party and a police officer
Backroom deals to silence independent media in Serbia?
Belgrade | Massimo Moratti | 12/9/2025As the political situation in Serbia remains explosive, the publication of a controversial private conversation highlights an attempt to muzzle the few media outlets in the country that continue to take a critical line towards the government
Serbia: MFRR partners warn against attempt to seize political control of last remaining independent TV stations N1 and Nova
4/9/2025OBCT and MFRR partners warn of political interference in United Group media in Serbia
As part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response project, OBCT organised on 17 October 2023 an international conference aimed at unpacking the nexus between rule of law, media and democracy.
Here you can find all the materials and video recordings of the event
Events:
SLAPPs against the media in Europe: is the EU response sufficient and what remains to be done?
22 Apr 2023 | Incontro | Perugia
The objective of the panel co-organized by ARTICLE 19 Europe and OBC Transeuropa, as part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response Mechanism, is to highlight the phenomenon of SLAPPs at the national level and unpack the anti-SLAPP developments at the European level
MFRR Summit 2023: Press Freedom on the Line
29 Mar 2023 - 31 Mar 2023 | Summit | Online
Reflecting the MFRR’s core campaign areas, the online conference will host in-depth discussions on journalist safety, media capture, the rule of law, and SLAPPs. Hosted on Zoom for interactive participation, and simultaneously livestreamed on the MFRR YouTube channel, the summit will feature a range of panel discussions, live interviews, and keynote speeches with journalists, media freedom experts, policy-makers, and other stakeholders all working to defend press freedom in Europe
MFRR Summit 2022 - Boosting Press Freedom
22 Mar 2022 - 24 Mar 2022 | Conferenza | Online
La conferenza annuale del progetto Media Freedom Rapid Response, una tre giorni online aperta dalla vicepresidente della Commissione Europea e da un discorso di Roberto Saviano
MFRR Summit
17 Mar 2021 - 20 Mar 2021 | online
(Conferenza finale del primo anno di Media Freedom Rapid Response, con giornalisti, esperti, rappresentanti della Commissione Europea. Quattro giorni di eventi e dibattiti)
Media freedom is in jeopardy but there is no democracy in Europe without a free press in Europe
Between 17th and 20th March, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), which monitors and tracks media freedom violations, will bring together leading journalists from over 13 countries and representatives of press freedom organisations, unions and journalist bodies to discuss key threats and trends that underpin threats to media freedom across Europe
Chi ha paura dei giornalisti? Il report MFRR Italia
11 May 2022 | online | online
In occasione della pubblicazione del report sulla Missione Italia, il consorzio MFRR propone un momento di discussione sugli esiti della tre giorni di ricognizione tenuta dalla delegazione agli inizi di aprile
MFRR in Focus: Europe
4 Oct 2021 | WEBINAR | online
In questo appuntamento online, che avrà cadenza bimestrale, i partner del consorzio Media Freedom Rapid Response presentano le questioni più urgenti che minacciano il giornalismo in Europa, negli Stati membri e nei paesi candidati
MFRR in Focus 6
24 May 2022 | online
Per l'appuntamento mensile con il webinar di MFRR, OBCT ha realizzato un'intervista a una videomaker freelance di GVpress: Cristina Pantaleoni, incontrata a Roma durante la missione Italia di MFRR, racconta le difficoltà dei videogiornalisti durante gli scontri con manifestanti e polizia
MFRR in Focus 5
15 Mar 2022 | Webinar | Online
Il quinto episodio del webinar mensile di MFRR si concentra sulle questioni di genere nel giornalismo, dedicando una puntata alle donne, a una settimana dalla Giornata Internazionale dell'8 marzo / The 5th edition of the MFRR monthly webinar focuses on women journalists, a week after International Women's Day
OBC Transeuropa -as member of the Media Freedom Rapid Response consortium- conducted a research on the needs of European journalists and the gaps in support mechanisms. From verbal harassment against media operators to groundless legal charges, what can be done to tackle these issues
2021
Authors: Maria Francesca Rita, Sofia Verza, Luisa Chiodi
Language: English
The project European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) aims to protect press freedom and to promote transnational public debate on violations registered in the European Union, the Enlargement and the Eastern Partnership countries. In 2018, the project enters its fourth year of activity thanks to the renewed support by the European Commission.
The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) brings together different European entities working in support of media freedom - the Media Foundation of the Sparkasse Leipzig , initiator of the ECPMF based in Leipzig; the two monitoring centres Oxygen for Information (Rome) and South East Europe Media Organisation (Vienna); Journalismfund.eu (Brussels); and the Institute of European Media Law (Saarbrücken).
Press freedom and freedom of expression have a crucial role for the functioning of democratic societies. Despite this, in Europe journalists are threatened, censured or intimidated and this affects the citizens' right to information. OBC, together with SEEMO , Ossigeno Informazione , Professor Eugenia Siapera (Dublin City University) and a broad network of media partners in 11 European countries, devoted a year to studying the challenges to press freedom and the needs of journalists in Italy, South East Europe and Turkey. The project "Safety Net for European Journalists. A Transnational Network Support for Media Freedom in Italy and South-east Europe" is co-financed by the European Union.
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The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) started in March 2020 as a one-year pilot project co-funded by the European Commission. |
