The former Commissioner, who has now returned to her native Czechia after ten years as an EU Commissioner, believes the EU’s Media Freedom Act due to be implemented in August 2025 will be key to protect democracy.
'Shocking' levels of democratic backsliding across Europe - ex-Justice Commissioner Jourová
Jourová - a lawyer by trade - was EU Commissioner for Values and Transparency from 2019 until November 2024. During that time, rule of law issues in some member states have deteriorated, she said, speaking just before the end of her mandate.
The EU has initiated infringement proceedings against several countries targeting freedom of the press, as well as LGBT communities which the Commission point out are in breach of EU values, as well as Article 2 of the Treaty of the European Union.
- Article 2 relates to the rights and obligations of members as having due regard for “respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities”.
- In 2021, the Hungarian government implemented a so-called ‘child protection law’ it says is designed to protect children from paedophilia and other threats.
- The EU sued Hungary over the law in 2022, referring it to the European Court of Justice. And in November this year fifteen EU countries joined the European Commission's lawsuit against Hungary over the law.
Yet, media freedom groups say the situation in Slovakia has worsened and is ‘increasingly hostile’, according to the International Press Institute.
“The public service media are so important in democratic systems; especially in the era of disinformation, public service media should be the media where people can find trustworthy, fact-checked information, evidence-based truth," Jourová said.
But, "if this evidence-based truth is becoming uncomfortable for the politicians, they are either decreasing the budget, or nominating people willing to listen to political instructions, to the management and to the board", she said of the unstable media environment in parts of Europe.
According to the European Commission, the Media Freedom Act provides for protection of "editorial independence, journalistic sources, including against the use of spyware’. And aims to ensure the ‘independent functioning of public service media".
"We addressed these issues in the Media Freedom Act, because we really believe that the public service media deserve stronger protection," she said.
“The public service media are so important in democratic systems; especially in the era of disinformation, public service media should be the media where people can find trustworthy, fact-checked information, evidence-based truth," Jourová said.
But, "if this evidence-based truth is becoming uncomfortable for the politicians, they are either decreasing the budget, or nominating people willing to listen to political instructions, to the management and to the board", she said of the unstable media environment in parts of Europe.
According to the European Commission, the Media Freedom Act provides for protection of "editorial independence, journalistic sources, including against the use of spyware’. And aims to ensure the ‘independent functioning of public service media".
"We addressed these issues in the Media Freedom Act, because we really believe that the public service media deserve stronger protection," she said.
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