The 'News Initiative'

Protecting media freedom and pluralism

Media freedom and pluralism are two principles enshrined in the European Charter of Fundamental Rights, and the Commission has a role in upholding them.

• Under the European Democracy Action Plan, the Commission published a Recommendation on the protection, safety and empowerment of journalists and other media workers in 2021. It is also providing supporting actions, such as monitoring media pluralism and ownership, providing legal advice to journalists, and stimulating media quality standards and self-regulation.
• To complement these actions and the current media rules, the Commission published in September 2022 its proposal for the European Media Freedom Act, a novel set of rules to protect media pluralism and independence across the Single Market. This act is accompanied by a Recommendation to encourage internal safeguards for editorial independence.
• The Commission aims to strengthen the position of press and media councils and help in further development of deontological standards. In addition, a rapid response mechanism brings violations of press and media freedom to the forefront, and provides practical help to journalists under threat, including concrete tools such as advice and legal support as well as offering shelter and logistical assistance.
• EU-supported Media Ownership Monitoring System nurtures a country-based database containing information on media ownership and a systematic assessment of both relevant legal frameworks and risks to media ownership transparency.
• After supporting a mapping of news media deserts across the Union, in 2023 the Commission is allocating funding to support news media sectors with a special relevance to democracy, such as local and regional media, community media and investigative journalism.

Enhancing media resilience

The Commission aims to support the transformation and competitiveness of the news media sector.

• It aims to facilitate better access to finance through two actions:
  • On the one hand via access to debt, with the backing of InvestEU guarantees, building on the success of the Cultural and Creative Sectors Guarantee Facility (CCSGF) which makes an access to finance easier for news media.
  • On the other hand, via equity instruments, the Commission is working with foundations and philanthropic investors under InvestEU to seek synergies in areas of high societal value, including support for democracy and news media.

• In addition, the Commission stimulates more news media collaborations, using grants under Creative Europe programme. These grants (‘Journalism Partnerships can help the sector in testing viable business models, developing business and editorial standards, promoting collaborative content, training and mobility of professionals, and sharing of best practices.
• These support measures complement other legal initiatives that can helpould strengthen the sector’s competitiveness and financial footing, such as the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD), the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market, the Digital Services Act, the Digital Markets Act and the General Data Protection Regulation.
• Furthermore, the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) offered an opportunity to Member States to strengthen the resilience of the industry. Each national RRF Plan had a choice to include measures to boost the production and distribution of digital content (potentially including digital media).
• In 2024, the Commission presented a new study on public financing of the media sector across Europe to identify good practices on public financing mechanisms in Member States.

Supporting media innovation

European news media companies need to find new ways to be more competitive, to increase revenues and to improve their offer.

• The Commission proposes to address this by supporting a European ‘media data space’ initiative. This includes data applications, data infrastructures, data interoperability strategies, state-of-the-art tools, etc. The initiative builds on the European Data Strategy and is financed through Digital Europe Programme.

Stimulating media participation

The Commission wants to stimulate a lively and diverse public sphere, in which citizens have access to reliable information, including about EU affairs.

• Through its Multimedia Actions the EU aims to provide citizens with independent information about European topics beyond local and national angles. The following types of actions receive support: the TV channel Euronews, coverage of EU affairs through a radio network, data-driven news on EU affairs, and multilingual content across European platforms.
• To enhance access to information to the young audience, the Commission supports the development of innovative and attractive news projects for young Europeans. Projects produce and distribute thought-provoking content on a daily basis, showing multiple viewpoints, in attractive formats to youth.
• Additionally, the Commission supports media literacy actions, such as the publication of its Media Literacy Guidelines, the publication of a Media Literacy Toolbox in cooperation with the European Group of Audiovisual Regulators (ERGA), the European Media Literacy Week and funding to media literacy projects, to help citizens of all ages navigate the modern news environment and be better equipped to face the threats of disinformation.

Engaging with the media sector

The Commission engages in regular exchanges with the news media industry to better understand its priorities and challenges and work towards a news media innovation agenda.

• To this end, it organizes at least once every year a European News Media Forum (ENMF),, gathering news media organisations, professionals, representatives of the civil society and international organisations and discussing news media related topics:
  • The first edition (March 2021) discussed the safety of journalists.
  • The second edition (November 2021) focused on industrial transformation.
  • The third edition (November 2022) revolved around media innovation.
  • The topic chosen for the fourth edition, currently scheduled for Q4 2023, is the European Media Freedom Act.