The European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) came into force last week. The legislation provides tools to protect media freedom, pluralism and editorial independence across the European Union.
According to Henna Virkkunen, European Commissioner for Security, Democracy and Technological Sovereignty, journalists will receive more reliable protection, including from spyware and the disclosure of their sources.
At the same time, media representatives, politicians and experts who support the entry into force of this act are sceptical about its compliance by EU member states.
MEP Diana Riba considers the EMFA a “democratic victory,” noting that for the first time, EU citizens are legally guaranteed access to “free and pluralistic information.” However, she warned that”‘the risk now is that the EU will have a historic law…that will never be enforced.”
The media watchdog Liberties is sounding the alarm that several EU member states are either unwilling or unable to implement the document. According to Riba, there are governments in the EU that have turned public media into propaganda machines and use spyware against journalists.
“And the most cynical thing is that these are the same governments that dare to talk about censorship!” she emphasises.
MEPs Vicent Marza and Ana Miranda share Riba’s opinion. They focus on their own country, Spain, but in general call on the EC to now actively monitor the implementation of the law.
Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, leader of the party Debout la France (France Arise), wrote on X:
“With the EMFA, the European Union is imposing its law on media freedom. Officially, it protects journalists and pluralism, but it also provides dangerous exceptions allowing states to spy or control in the name of “national security.” This very vague condition implies trust in institutions with such power. Personally, I do not trust Ursula von der Leyen’s European Union. The EU is killing us, let’s free ourselves!”
EU governments are increasing pressure on public media in a number of countries. According to the latest European Commission report on the rule of law, more than half of EU countries received lower scores in 2025 than in 2024 in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Press Freedom Index.
Media experts fear that the law may not be enforced amid the undermining of media independence by populist parties in various countries. In their view, without real political will on the part of the European Commission and national governments, the law risks remaining a paper promise at a time when media independence is being undermined in many parts of Europe.
The law was adopted by the European Parliament in March 2024 and was to be implemented in Czech legislation through the Media Services Act, drafted by the Ministry of Culture. The Czech authorities had hoped to approve the regulation by the beginning of August, but this has not yet happened.
The government’s Legislative Council is not due to consider the bill until August 21, 2025.
Aimed at protecting the freedom of journalists and the independence of the media, the regulation is intended to prevent political and economic interference in the activities of the media. The law is also intended to ensure transparency in matters of media ownership and financing.
Among other things, the law prohibits the use of spyware against journalists, “except in strictly defined cases.” State authorities are prohibited from pressuring journalists to reveal their sources, and European media will be able to defend themselves against arbitrary restrictions or removal of their content by large internet platforms.
The new regulations also define the conditions for placing state advertising in the media. State authorities and state-owned enterprises are required to publish annual data on which media outlets they have paid for advertising and how much they have paid them.
