New report says provisions of the European Media Freedom Act are not being enforced in the region, which remains a “challenging environment” for media independence.
Political influence over the media remains stubbornly present in the Balkans both within EU member states and in accession candidate countries, says a new report by a Brussels-based independent organisation, the Balkan Free Media Initiative, which was published on Wednesday.
The BFMI report, ‘The Invisible Hand of Media Censorship in the Balkans’, says that across southeast Europe, the news media is in a state of transition and turmoil.
“The new European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) is falling short in the Balkans, one of the most challenging environments for media independence in Europe. There are doubts around the will and the ability of national regulators to fully enforce the Act’s provisions. And the Act itself needs strengthening if Brussels’ laudable ambitions for improved media freedom are to be met,” the report argues.
The BFMI’s director, Antoinette Nikolova, says murky, politically connected media ownership and state censorship are common problems in the region.
“If the Balkans lose, Europe loses as well. The region occupy a strategic geographical position and act as a crossroads of influence. Russia acts not only directly through the Balkans but also via figures like the Hungarian PM Viktor Orban, who exerts media influence in Slovenia, North Macedonia, and other areas,” Nikolova told BIRN.
In Bulgaria, the report notes incremental improvements to the media landscape and a lack of censorship but says challenges remain as the country grapples with its seventh election in three years.
“The dominance of the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party (GERB) has been replaced by a succession of caretaker governments, which has allowed editors and journalists to operate with greater latitude in their reporting”, the report observes.
“As Bulgaria navigates this complex media landscape, its ability to resist political and external pressures will be crucial for safeguarding media freedom,” it adds.
Greece is the lowest-ranking EU state in terms of media environment, and threats to journalists persist, the report says.
“The Greek media landscape is characterised by a troubling nexus between politically connected business leaders — often referred to as Greece’s oligarchs – political leaders, and media service providers, shaping a complex environment where media freedom is under strain,” it warns.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s government, re-elected in 2023, will be tasked with aligning domestic laws with the EMFA.
“Mandating strong provisions for media pluralism and editorial integrity to decouple the owners’ interest with the operation of their media outlets is essential. However, current Greek regulations have not been effective in addressing this issue and the EMFA itself does not go far enough in this regard,” the report notes.
In Serbia, the report says, the media situation is particularly concerning, due to its influence on other Serbian-speaking communities in the Balkans, including Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Nikolova said media freedom in Serbia has been in sharp decline.
“The 2023 national media laws have increased the state’s ability to exert control of the media. While Serbia has been a candidate country for over more than a decade, the reality is that under the current administration, Serbia has used tricks and evasion tactics to sidestep commitments to the European Union. It selectively implements agreements, playing a double game,” Nikolova said.
As a candidate country, the report says, Serbia must align with European norms in areas like competition, governance, rule of law, and media, including the EMFA.
“The ruling SNS [Serbian Progressive] party has tightened its grip on power, fostering a media space dominated by progovernment outlets that often disseminate pro-Kremlin disinformation and stoke ethnic tensions, with repercussions felt across the region. Without key improvements in media freedom, the nation will continue to spiral towards authoritarianism and pose a threat to democracy and stability in the region,” the report warns.
In Montenegro, the report says, the mainstream media are primarily aligned with either the governing Europe now! party, or the largest opposition force, the Democratic Party of Socialists, DPS
“With both parties ideologically aligned on EU accession for Montenegro, anti-EU rhetoric in mainstream media is less prevalent in the country than in Serbia. Serbian influence remains ingrained in the Montenegrin media landscape and pro-Serbian narratives continue to be promoted in a number of outlets as a result,” the report notes.
Nikolova said the growing political and financial influence of Serbian outlets and owners in Montenegro complicates domestic efforts to ensure media plurality and independence.
“Strengthening regulatory oversight and ensuring fair distribution of resources are crucial for aligning with the EMFA, broader EU directives and the overarching principle of protecting media freedom in the country,” she added.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the report noted, media landscape is insufficiently served by both the country’s own complex regulatory framework and the provisions set out by the EMFA.
“There has been a substantive weakening of the protections for journalists and, according to a report from the European Commission, a ‘backsliding’ in media freedom in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” the report says.
In Bosnia’s majority-Serb entity, Republika Srpska, the media landscape is heavily influenced by political actors An influential development, the report noted, happened in August 2023, when Republika Srpska president Milorad Dodik signed a decree making defamation a criminal act.
“The biggest challenge for the EMFA in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro is that its provisions are not directly tied to their EU accession,” Nikolova concluded.