The International Press Institute (IPI) and the Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC) today publish the final overview report of our 2025 report series examining media capture and implementation of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) in EU member states.
This final overview report provides an analysis of the eight country reports for 2025 covering Bulgaria, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Spain. It synthesises the main trends and developments related to media capture and implementation of the EMFA in the last year on each of the four key indicators of media capture.
The report also identifies key recommendations for each of the eight countries, as well as wider recommendations for EU member states for implementing EMFA provisions.
It concludes that the overall picture of EMFA implementation is highly fragmented across the countries assessed. Only Finland has fully integrated EMFA standards, while others exhibit legislative inertia, selective or minimal adaptation, or outright resistance.
The year 2026 therefore will represent a major test of the EU’s ability to ensure that EMFA’s legal guarantees translate into real, enforceable protections for media freedom and pluralism.
The final report is intended as a tool for journalists and media rights groups and national policy makers to guide reform and monitor the degree to which EU member states are meeting their obligations.
For more information or media inquiries, please contact:
- Jamie Wiseman, Senior Europe Advocacy Officer – IPI, [email protected]
- Marius Dragomir, Project Editor – MJRC, [email protected]
This report by IPI is part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and Candidate Countries.
