The International Press Institute (IPI) and the Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC) today publish a new report examining the level of media capture in Spain and the country’s compliance with the new European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) in 2025.
The report – the seventh in a series of Media Capture Monitoring Reports for 2025 – reviews developments regarding media capture in Spain and assesses the country’s compliance with EMFA since the EU Commission’s regulation entered into full force in August 2025.
While other reports in the series are an update from the 2024 report, Spain is the newest country added to the series and provides a new assessment of media capture in the country through IPI and MJRC’s methodology.
The Spanish report focuses on EMFA elements directly addressing media capture: the independence of public service media and of media regulators, the misuse of state funds to influence media, and ensuring ownership transparency and media pluralism.
The report examines the standards prescribed by law and how they are currently implemented in practice. It also sets out the areas of reform needed to bring the country into line with EMFA while also making recommendations for where reform can go further.
It is part of a broader series covering seven other EU countries: Bulgaria, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
In the coming weeks IPI and MJRC will also publish an overview report, summarising major developments across the EU in the past year.
These reports are intended as a vital resource for media rights organizations, civil society groups, policymakers, and advocates dedicated to monitoring and fostering media freedom across the EU.
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.
