The European Parliament has approved a new law to protect journalists from political pressure and surveillance. The Act prohibits the use of spyware (surveillance software) against journalists and guarantees the privacy of their informants.
The law was passed by 464 votes in the European Parliament last Wednesday (March 13).
92 lawmakers voted against it, 65 abstained. Now the law will come into effect only if the 27 member states of the European Union accept it.
EU Commissioner for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova hailed Wednesday’s “historic vote”. On social media platform X, he said, independent media is essential for democracy and it is the duty of democracy to protect them.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also welcomed the new EU law. Julie Mazarzak, head of RSF’s Brussels office, said the adoption of the law was a major step forward for information rights in the European Union. He urged EU member states to implement the law “ambitiously”.
The European Media Freedom Act was drafted in 2022. The law was brought forward by the European Commission in response to the deterioration of media freedom in EU member states such as Hungary-Poland and the use of spyware such as Pegasus-Predator against journalists.
