EU statement ahead of International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists

The joint statement

Executive Vice-President Virkkunen, High Representative Kallas and Commissioner McGrath issued a joint statement ahead of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. The statement says violence against journalists "undermines the very foundations of open, free and democratic societies" and that journalists continue to be killed, tortured, harassed, detained and forced into exile simply for doing their job and holding power to account. It emphasises that journalists reporting from armed conflicts are civilians who must be protected at all times, that any attack or act of intimidation against them must be investigated promptly, independently and effectively, and that perpetrators must be held to account.

Threats and EU responses noted in the statement

The statement highlights threats beyond the front line, including coordinated harassment online, unlawful surveillance and campaigns designed to discredit or silence journalists, as well as transnational repression, abusive lawsuits, economic coercion and foreign interference. It says women journalists are disproportionately targeted. The EU will continue to defend independent journalism worldwide and provide the necessary support. In human rights dialogues with partners the EU raises concrete cases of journalists facing harassment or killed for their work. The statement also references the European Media Freedom Act, the European Democracy Shield, work on SLAPPs and the Commission's annual Rule of Law Reports, which monitor media freedom and pluralism and cover accession countries Albania, Montenegro, North-Macedonia and Serbia.

Support mechanisms and background figures

By the end of 2025 the European Commission had launched more than 100 projects in 56 countries alongside global programmes supporting independent media. The statement says that since 2015 the ProtectDefender.eu mechanism has provided direct support to nearly 13,000 journalists at risk, including 686 in 2025 alone, and that nearly 13,000 journalists have benefited since the mechanism was established in 2015. It lists other targeted programmes managed by Commission DGs (INTPA, ENEST, MENA, FPI), notes special attention to women journalists and those reporting on minority groups or from areas with little news coverage, and refers to EU support for OHCHR and UNESCO, bilateral human rights dialogues, the EMFA entering into application in August 2025, EU-wide rules to tackle SLAPPs, the Commission Recommendation on the safety of journalists adopted in September 2021, the Commission's enlargement report and a Europe-wide rapid response mechanism. The statement concludes by calling on all States to protect journalists, investigate crimes against them and bring those responsible to justice.