Landmark EU media law enters into force to protect journalism
"With the European Media Freedom Act entering into application, media and journalists across the EU gain unprecedented safeguards, and citizens can trust that the news they receive is driven by facts, not by business or political agenda,' - Michael McGrath,** Commissioner for Democracy, Justice and the Rule of Law, said.
'The entry into application of the EMFA is a landmark for press freedom in the EU. But its true value will be measured in action, not words. Now begins the real work: ensuring every member state implements the EMFA fully and faithfully. Media freedom is not negotiable - it is the backbone of our democracy,' said Sabine Veheyen, a German EPP MEP, who chairs Parliament's working group scrutinising the law's implementation.
Nela Riehl, a German MEP from the Greens/EFA group and the chair of the Committee on Culture and Education, said member states should adhere to the rules.
'With the Media Freedom Act, Europe has set the benchmark for the protection of press freedom and journalistic work. This is a great achievement. But it is only meaningful if we adhere to it. I am looking with concern at the decline in press freedom in different parts of Europe and call on all member states to implement it dutifully.'
The European Commission proposed the new rules as media freedom has declined in many member states. Recent EU Rule of Law Reports have highlighted ongoing concerns about media freedom and pluralism across the EU, noting a worrying decline in media freedom and safety of journalists in some member states, notably in Hungary, Poland and Greece. Investigative journalists Daphne Caruana Galizia in Malta and Ján Kuciak in Slovakia have been assassinated because of their work.
According to the new rules, governments could only use spyware on journalists as a last resort, if national security is in danger. Earlier, both Hungary and Poland allegedly used Pegasus spyware on journalists. A new EU body, called the European Board for Media Services, will oversee the implementation of the laws. The Media Freedom Act is the first-ever EU regulation related to the press.
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Euronews
10 hours ago
- Euronews
European leaders criticise Israel's Gaza City takeover decision
European and world leaders have criticised Israel's decision to seize control of Gaza City, warning the move risks exacerbating the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the Strip, and culminating in Germany's decision to suspend its exports of weapons that could be used in Gaza. The Israeli security cabinet approved the controversial plan early Friday, marking a new escalation in the country's nearly two-year-long war against Hamas. The announcement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office came after hours of debate among senior security officials. The decision to move into Gaza City was made in light of Netanyahu's earlier suggestions that the military would "take control of all Gaza," but also his claim that Israel had no intention of occupying the Strip permanently. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's decision not to authorise any exports of military equipment that could be used in Gaza "until further notice" marked a break from the Staatsräson, a cornerstone of German foreign policy, which sees Israel's security as intrinsically linked to Germany's national interest. "The new military push agreed by the Israeli security cabinet makes it increasingly unclear how these goals are to be achieved,' Merz posted on X. 'The German government will, until further notice, authorise no military equipment exports that can be used in the Gaza Strip.' Merz added that with Netanyahu's planned offensive, 'the Israeli government bears even more responsibility than before for ensuring that civilians can be provided with the supplies they need,' and should 'refrain from taking any further steps towards an annexation of the West Bank.' UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the Israeli security cabinet's decision in strong terms, stating: 'Israel's decision to further escalate its offensive in Gaza is wrong and we urge it to reconsider immediately.' 'This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages. It will only bring more bloodshed,' Starmer said in a statement. 'What we need is a ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian aid, the release of all hostages by Hamas and a negotiated solution.' Starmer added that Hamas 'can play no part in the future of Gaza and must leave as well as disarm.' The UK, he said, is working with allies on a long-term strategy to establish peace in the region 'as part of a two-state solution.' Israel asked to 'reconsider' The comments were echoed with even more intensity by other European politicians who made clear that the takeover of Gaza would further aggravate the current humanitarian disaster in the strip and that a ceasefire would be the only way to end the ongoing war with Hamas. Spain's foreign affairs minister, socialist José Manuel Albares, strongly condemned the decision to take over Gaza, which would "only provoke more destruction and suffering', he said. His Dutch counterpart Caspar Veldkamp, a member of the centre-right New Social Contract, called Netanyahu's plan to take over Gaza a "wrong move'. 'The humanitarian situation is catastrophic and demands immediate improvement,' Veldkamp posted on X. "This decision in no way contributes to this and will also not help to get the hostages home.' Slovenia's Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon "strongly' condemned the Israeli plans and urged Israel "to halt any intention or attempt to militarily occupy Gaza'. "Any such attempts would further aggravate the already untenable humanitarian conditions. An immediate and permanent ceasefire is needed," she said. Finland's Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen echoed those concerns, stating she was 'extremely worried' about the worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza. 'We hope for an immediate Gaza ceasefire and the immediate release of Israeli hostages,' she said. A more measured reaction came from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who called on the Israeli government to "reconsider' its decision to expand its military operation in Gaza. Von der Leyen made clear that the priority was the "release of all hostages, who are being held in inhumane conditions', give "immediate and unhindered' humanitarian aid to Gaza, and establish a ceasefire. In turn, European Council President António Costa reacted strongly to Netanyahu's takeover plan, urging the 27-member bloc to take action. According to Costa, Israel's decision alongside 'the illegal expansion of settlements in the West Bank, the massive destruction in Gaza, the blockade of humanitarian aid, and the spread of famine,' is contrary to international law and 'violates' the agreement reached by the EU last month to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza. "Such a decision must have consequences for EU-Israel relations, to be assessed by the Council," Costa concluded. US President Donald Trump commented earlier this week that the decision was 'really up to Israel' and blamed Hamas for stalling negotiations. "They didn't really want to make a deal," he said. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk slammed the move, saying: 'The Israeli government's plan for a complete military takeover of the occupied Gaza Strip must be immediately halted.' 'It runs contrary to the ruling of the International Court of Justice that Israel must bring its occupation to an end as soon as possible, to the realisation of the agreed two-state solution and to the right of Palestinians to self-determination,' he added. 'Declaration of a war crime' Reactions within Israel were divided. Opposition leader Yair Lapid denounced the government's plan, saying it went against the advice of military leadership. "The plan is completely contrary to the position of the military and the defence establishment, without taking into consideration the burnout and the exhaustion of the combat troops," he said. Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir warned earlier on Thursday that the plan would endanger the lives of the hostages and further stretch the military. Zamir has repeatedly clashed with the security cabinet in recent days, notably over the Gaza proposal. Prior to the security cabinet session on Thursday, Netanyahu denied Israel had any intentions of permanently controlling Gaza in its entirety. "We don't want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter," the Israeli leader told Fox News. "We don't want to govern it. We don't want to be there as a governing body." He said that Israel intends to hand over the Strip to a coalition of Arab forces that would govern it. The announcement comes as humanitarian organisations continue to warn of severe conditions in Gaza, where widespread hunger and displacement are mounting daily. The ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza has displaced nearly the entire population of Gaza, destroyed over 60% of the enclave's buildings and infrastructure, and brought most of its 2 million residents to the brink of famine. The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. Fifty hostages are still being held, although fewer than half of them are believed to be alive. Israel's subsequent offensive resulted in the deaths of over 60,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, whose figures do not distinguish between fighters and civilians. The Israeli military says nearly 900 of its soldiers have died since the start of the war.
Euronews
19 hours ago
- Euronews
Orbán says Europe risks being 'sidelined' if Trump-Putin talks happen
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Friday that Europe risks being "sidelined" if a summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war in Ukraine takes place. Speaking to Hungary's state broadcaster, Orbán said "if the Russian-American summit comes, that's good, because there can finally be peace. But the Europeans will be left out of this, we will be sidelined in managing the security issues of our own continent." Orbán added that "as soon as possible", whether that be before or after the potential Russia-US meeting, there should be a Russian-European summit on the war. Orbán, a harsh critic of the European Union, suggested that such a meeting should not be led by leaders of European institutions. "Their knowledge would be scarce in Moscow," he said. Instead, Orbán said French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz should "negotiate on behalf of Europe." Orbán is widely considered to be Putin's closest partner in the EU and has maintained friendly relations with the Kremlin even after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. "In my opinion, if Europe wants to take the decisions about its future into its own hands, it cannot sit at home like an upset toddler, talking bad about the Russian president," Orbán said. While most EU countries have offered political, financial, and military support to Kyiv, Hungary has charted a starkly different course, refusing to supply Ukraine with weapons or to allow their transit through Hungarian territory, demanding sanctions relief and rapprochement with Russia. Brussels has long been at odds with Budapest over perceived democratic backsliding. The EU is currently withholding approximately €9.5 billion in COVID-19 recovery funding and €8.4 billion in cohesion funds over those concerns. Brussels and Budapest over the years have been at loggerheads on a range of issues, most recently that of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but the situation has been made worse by the financial issue. In March, Orbán vowed to rid his country of those he claims work for the interests of foreign powers, saying his right-wing government will eliminate a global "shadow army" serving the European Union and a "liberal American empire." The Hungarian leader, in power since 2010, has accelerated his longstanding efforts to crack down on critics such as media outlets, civil rights and anti-corruption groups, which he says have undermined Hungary's sovereignty by receiving financial assistance from international donors. Orbán, an ally of Trump, has applauded the US administration's actions to dismantle the US Agency for International Development, claiming, with no evidence, that it was used to fund liberal causes in Hungary aimed at toppling his government.
France 24
21 hours ago
- France 24
Israel plans to 'take control' of Gaza City, sparking wave of criticism
Nearly two years into the war in Gaza, Netanyahu faces mounting pressure to secure a truce to pull the territory's more than two million people back from the brink of famine and free the hostages held by Palestinian militants. Israel's foe Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 attack triggered the war, denounced the plan to expand the fighting as a "new war crime". Staunch Israeli ally Germany meanwhile took the extraordinary step of halting military exports out of concern they could be used in Gaza. Under the newly approved plan to "defeat" Hamas, the Israeli army "will prepare to take control of Gaza City while distributing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside combat zones", the premier's office said Friday. Before the decision, Netanyahu had said Israel planned to seize complete control of the Gaza Strip, but did not intend to govern it. The premier told US network Fox News on Thursday that Israel wanted to maintain a "security perimeter" and to hand the Palestinian territory to "Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us". Israel occupied Gaza from 1967, but withdrew its troops and settlers in 2005. Netanyahu's office said the cabinet had adopted "five principles", including Gaza's demilitarisation and "the establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority". The plan triggered swift criticism from across the globe, with China, Turkey, Britain and the UN's rights chief as well as numerous Arab governments issuing statements of concern. 'March of recklessness' In a major shift, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced his country was halting military shipments to Israel, saying it was "increasingly difficult to understand" how the new plan would help achieve legitimate aims. "The German government will not authorise any exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice," he said. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid denounced the cabinet's move as "a disaster" that could result in "the death of the hostages, the killing of many soldiers... and lead to diplomatic bankruptcy". The main campaign group for hostages' families also slammed the plan, saying it amounted to "abandoning" the captives. "The cabinet chose last night to embark on another march of recklessness, on the backs of the hostages, the soldiers, and Israeli society as a whole," the Hostage and Missing Families Forum said. An expanded Israeli offensive could see ground troops operate in densely populated areas where hostages are believed to be held, local media have reported. Some Israelis, meanwhile, offered their support. The Israeli army said last month that it controlled 75 percent of the Gaza Strip. Out of 251 hostages captured during Hamas's 2023 attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the military says are dead. 'We are human beings' Gaza residents said they feared further displacement and attacks as they braced for the next onslaught. "They tell us to go south, then back north, and now they want to send us south again. We are human beings, but no one hears us or sees us," Maysa al-Shanti, a 52-year-old mother of six, told AFP. Hamas on Friday said the "plans to occupy Gaza City and evacuate its residents constitutes a new war crime". It warned Israel that the operation would "cost it dearly", and that "expanding the aggression means sacrificing" the hostages held by militants. International concern has been growing over the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, where a UN-backed assessment has warned that famine is unfolding. The World Health Organization said at least 99 people have died from malnutrition in the territory this year, with the figure likely an underestimate. Gaza's civil defence agency said a 19-year-old was seriously injured during the delivery of aid by an airdrop over Gaza City. "There are daily injuries and fatalities caused by the heavy parcels falling on people's heads in densely populated areas," said civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal, adding that stampedes and overcrowding at aid drop sites frequently lead to casualties. Bassal said Israeli strikes across Gaza on Friday killed at least 16 people. Israel in recent months has eased some restrictions on aid entering Gaza, but the United Nations says the amount allowed into the territory remains insufficient. Israel's offensive has killed over 61,000 Palestinians, according to Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry. The 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. © 2025 AFP
