site.btaAEJ-Bulgaria Takes Key Role in Leadership of AEJ International

Bulgarian journalist and two-term chair of the Board of AEJ–Bulgaria (2016–2024), Irina Nedeva, who had been serving as interim vice president, has been elected to a full term in the international Association of European Journalists (AEJ International). She also assumes the role of the organization’s international representative on media freedom, AEJ announced on Friday.

Her nomination was confirmed by the General Assembly of the international organization, organized by AEJ’s Belgian section and held on 15 November 2025 at Press Club Brussels Europe. Delegates from 15 European countries participated in the assembly.

This election consolidates AEJ-Bulgaria’s strategic position in the leadership of one of Europe’s oldest independent journalist organizations. The announcement notes that this comes at a time when media freedom across the continent is under unprecedented pressure.

As international representative for media freedom and vice president of AEJ, Irina Nedeva emphasized that the issue of press freedom must remain a core commitment of the board. She takes over the mandate from William Horsley, a longtime BBC correspondent and leading figure in AEJ’s British section.

“European journalism today is at a crossroads. Pressure on the media is growing, propaganda is undermining public trust, and facts are becoming a battleground. In the new AEJ board, we will work to strengthen professional standards, protect journalists, and restore the meaning of free speech as a public good,” said Irina Nedeva in her capacity as the newly elected vice president of AEJ International and member of the AEJ-Bulgaria board.

Key topics at the AEJ International annual conference included the state of media freedom, combating disinformation and foreign influence and propaganda amid increasing tensions on the EU’s eastern flank due to Russia’s war against Ukraine, pressure from opaque algorithms of global platforms that mix facts with emotions, protection of journalists from growing pressures on editorial content in Europe and the UK, and the opportunities offered to EU member states by the implementation of the European Media Freedom Act.

Albanian journalist Arber Hitaj was elected president of AEJ International’s board and Catalin-Teodor Dogaru from Romania as secretary-general.