The erosion of transparency and access for Brussels-based journalists dominated discussion at the launch of the EU Journalism Initiative (EUJI) at the Brussels Press Club. The panel, featuring speakers from Investigate Europe, MLex and POLITICO Europe, quickly focused on what participants described as tightening control over information flows in the EU capital.
Posted inInterview, Press freedom
Ján Kuciak Trial Continues as Former MEP Sophie in ’t Veld Warns EU on Press Freedom
Former MEP Sophie in ’t Veld speaks on unresolved journalist murders in Europe, highlighting threats to press freedom, rule of law, and EU accountability.
Posted inNews, Press freedom
EU Defends Euronews Funding Amid Editorial Independence Row Before Hungary Election
The European Commission defends its long-standing financial backing of Euronews, insisting that editorial independence is a criteria of that support, as concerns mount over press freedom ahead of Hungary’s pivotal April 12 election.
Posted inBusiness, News
EU Commission Spends €1.3mn on News Subscriptions
The European Commission spent about €1.34 million in 2025 on digital subscriptions to five major news and information services, according to internal figures — but declined to disclose how the money was distributed, citing commercial confidentiality, even as it prepares to enforce sweeping new transparency rules on public-sector media spending.
Posted inNews, Press freedom
Belgian Authorities Cleared Journalist After Security Ban Over Alleged ‘Extreme-Left Contacts’
An Italian journalist based in Brussels was barred for months from covering the Council of the European Union after Belgian security authorities denied him clearance over alleged “contacts with the extreme left,” a decision later overturned by an independent appeals body.
Posted inInterview, Press freedom
Irma Dimitradze Leads Campaign to Free Jailed Sakharov Laureate Journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli
By Oliver Money-Kyrle. When Georgian journalist and 2025 Sakharov laureate Mzia Amaghlobeli was arrested in Batumi on January 12, 2025, she quickly became a symbol of the country’s embattled pro-democracy movement. More than a year later, Amaghlobeli remains in prison, serving a two-year sentence.
Posted inAnalysis
Eight Years After Jan Kuciak and Martina Kušnírová Murders, Slovakia Faces Critical Third Trial
By Oliver Money-Kyrle — Eight years after the assassination of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová, the case remains emblematic of rule-of-law concerns within the European Union. Slovakia continues to grapple with a prosecution that reshaped its politics, toppled a government and exposed entrenched networks of corruption.
Posted inBelgium, Business
Mediahuis €7.8M Tender Fine: Euractiv Subsidiary Not Impacted
Belgium’s Competition Authority fined Mediahuis €7.8M for the 2023–2027 newspaper distribution tender. Mediahuis says the fine will not affect fully owned subsidiary Euractiv amid intensifying EU news market competition.
Posted inBelgium
Belgian Court Strikes Down Law Criminalizing Journalists’ Leaks
Belgium’s revised penal code, in force from 8 April, expands the term “state secret” to cover handling and receiving restricted documents deemed to be damaging to a broader range of the country’s national interests. But the Constitutional Court struck down a provision that would have opened up the way for prison terms of up to […]
Posted inTech
EU News Revenue Collapse from US Platforms and AI Search
By Oliver Money-Kyrle. Europe’s news media is nearing a financial cliff as AI-driven platforms and zero-click search drain publisher revenue, prompting warnings in Brussels of mass journalist layoffs and growing news deserts.