site.btaUPDATED EC Representative: Europe Stands Behind Independent Media Outlets

Europe will support independent media, Yordanka Chobanova, Head of the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria, said here on Tuesday. She was speaking at the opening of a conference titled "The European Media Freedom Act - a Framework for Independence and Pluralism in the European Union." The event was organized by the Council for Electronic Media (CEM).

"Freedom of speech is just like light - light always finds its way," Chobanova said.

She also said that there is no democracy without a free press. "Beyond the moral responsibility, there is also pure economic logic for why it is so fundamental to invest in a healthy media environment," she said, adding that this is because journalists and media are tasked with building trust. "When trust is established in society, investors are attracted, and economic growth is stimulated. Only a free society can truly be competitive, innovative, creative, and dynamic," Chobanova stated.

She argued that this is not just an opinion but a fact supported by solid data, research, and statistics. “Even if there are pessimists today who claim that traditional journalism will be heavily reshaped and lost in a sea of algorithm, digital noise, and automatically generated text, what I can assure you on behalf of the European Commission is that Europe will support independent media, because independent media are part of the European essence and identity,” Chobanova added.

Over the years, the European Union has undergone multiple levels of expansion and integration. Bulgaria joined in 2007. “We believed that democracy was guaranteed and irreversible, and that Europe was its natural home. Today, however, we see that this belief is vulnerable, and European democracy is under pressure,” Chobanova said, adding that the pressure comes both from outside and from within.

“Citizens are increasingly being subjected to distrust and intolerance – deliberately and through manipulation across the full spectrum of these phenomena. The latest Eurobarometer is telling: only 40% of Bulgarians believe that democracy in the European Union will remain stable over the next five years,” Chobanova noted. She emphasized that this is not only a Bulgarian phenomenon – concern is serious across Europe. “That is why the European Commission has taken a series of steps to strengthen the protection of our core values,” she said.

“This was first achieved through the rule-of-law mechanism, which monitors judicial reforms and media pluralism. Just a few days ago, the Commission launched the so-called European Democracy Action Plan. This is support for the integrity of electoral processes, institutions, media, fact-checkers, civil society, media literacy, and critical thinking. The measures also include a review of legislation – the Audiovisual Media Services Directive and the Copyright Directive," Chobanova explained.

She said that financial support will also be provided in the next programming period through the AgoraEU program, with approximately EUR 9 billion currently allocated. “The Democracy Action Plan is based on a solid legal foundation. One of its pillars is precisely the European Media Freedom Act – the very topic of today’s conference. The Commission is actively monitoring member states’ preparation for its implementation,” Chobanova went on to say.

"The key priority is for the new rules to work in the interest of journalists. They must be free from pressure and dependencies and able to receive legal protection. The European Board for Media Services has already been established and will issue its first concrete proposals by the end of this year," Chobanova concluded.