A newsletter from Nordicom at the University of Gothenburg. Editor: Natacha López, freelance journalist |
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The US plans to fund MAGA-aligned media in Europe, while a conference on disinformation lost EU support for raising the topic of the US as a FIMI actor. Also, a key topic at a time of EU negotiations on the union’s next long-term budget is: How should the EU fund the media? Read about these and other news in the new European Media Policy newsletter.
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In this issue: Media economy
Disinformation
Digital rules Media freedom |
Media economyIrish budget proposal could lead to major cuts in journalism fundingMuch still remains of the ongoing negotiations regarding the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028–2034. The member states are still far from agreeing on a common view, especially regarding the size of the budget. In its latest compromise proposal, presented on 8 October, the Irish presidency suggests cutting 8 per cent of the budget, compared to the European Commission’s draft. The proposed cut was still considered insufficient by the most frugal countries, such as Germany and Sweden. But the Irish proposal would hit journalism particularly hard. The envelope for funding journalism, culture, and civil society – AgoraEU – would, according to the draft, be cut by 30 per cent. Although the proposal does not specify how the AgoraEU budget would be distributed among the different areas it covers the proposal has raised concern and on 14 October 600 European culture, media and civil society organisations called on EU leaders to defend a strong AgoraEU budget.
(Defend AgoraEU: Invest in European Citizens’ Future) EFJ analysis identifies weaknesses in EU media funding Ahead of the EU adopting its new Multiannual Financial Framework, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) presented an analysis of the current EU media support. One of the findings is that EU funding of local journalism is limited. For example, between 2021 and the first half of 2026, the commercial broadcaster Euronews received €23 million as sole beneficiary, while projects supporting local and community media and media NGOs in consortiums with multiple partners only received barely double that, €45.4 million. The analysis also raises that EU media funding has been scattered in several different funding programmes and agencies, of which none has the primary objective of supporting sustainability. Considering this, the EFJ highlights that the European Commission’s budget proposal would imply the union would for the first time have a dedicated funding strand specifically for journalism and the press. Another criticism is that EU funding is short term – 12 to 24 months – while the media needs long-term institutional support. The EFJ points to the example of the Swedish press support system, which has operated for over 50 years, as a better alternative. ( A Promising Start, But Not Enough: The Case for Getting EU Journalism Funding Right)
Reporters Without Borders and MEPs demand EMFA implementationAt a conference held at the European Parliament on 8 September, European parliamentarians and Reporters Without Borders called for an effective implementation of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA). The conference exposed the shortcomings of the implementation of the act, which came into force in August 2025, through specific examples from Bulgaria, Italy, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. In the case of the latter, the Czech government has been accused of failing to comply with the EMFA because of a draft bill that replaces the broadcasting licence fee with reduced funding from the state budget. While in Slovakia, the underfunding of Slovakia’s public broadcaster, STVR, raises concerns. A representative of the European Commission stated that the commission has asked more than half of the EU member states to provide an account of their implementation of the EMFA and expects responses by mid-October. (EU public media under siege: RSF and EU Parliament members call for the effective implementation of the European Media Freedom Act) Trump administration funds European right-wing mediaThe US government is planning to spend $4 million on supporting right-wing media in Europe. This as part of a bigger package of at least $25 million for civil society groups working on conservative causes in the region, according to four people familiar with the funding, whom Reuters spoke to. The US State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) has said the funding is meant to strengthen transatlantic ties and promote free speech. According to Reuters’ sources, $1 million are intended for creating a consortium of independent journalists covering issues including national sovereignty, natural rights, and religious freedom in Europe. A further $3 million are destined for a programme to “document and analyse democratic backsliding in Europe as it relates to mass and illegal migration, the independent media landscape, and legislative agendas by supranational entities”. Reuters later reported that French organisations will be excluded from applying for the funding. This due to ”sensitivities over allegations of foreign interference ahead of next year's presidential election”. The French foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, had reacted to the US plans to support MAGA-aligned organisations when they were first announced in July, and wrote on X: “France and the Europeans will not tolerate any attempt at foreign interference in their electoral processes, regardless of where it comes from”. (Trump administration plans $4 million for right-wing media in Europe, sources say) (US grant for MAGA-aligned groups in Europe excludes French applicants over election fears) | DisinformationUS pressure led to European withdrawal from disinformation conference A conference on disinformation held in Lithuania on 7 and 8 October lost three of its main supporters – Lithuania, Canada, and the EU’s diplomatic service – following US pressure, according to several news reports. The reason was that the conference, organised by the independent NGO “EU DisinfoLab”, addressed the topic of US intervention in European politics in two of its panels. According to a cable from the US State Department, seen by Politico, the Trump administration was bothered by sessions describing the US as a FIMI (foreign information manipulation and interference) threat to Europe. It therefore asked its embassies in several European countries and the EU to express concerns and assess if the governments involved in the conference agreed with the description. The Guardian also refers to documents they have seen where US officials thank Lithuania for taking US concerns seriously and limiting their involvement in the conference. According to media reports, up until only days before the conference, its website listed Lithuania’s foreign ministry, Global Affairs Canada, and the EU’s European External Action Service amongst its main supporters. However, when the conference started, only France’s department for foreign affairs remained listed as a main supporter. One of the panels that caused a stir was titled “USA as a FIMI threat”, and amongst its speakers were a former officer of the CIA’s Directorate of Operations and two American researchers. The other was titled “Under attack: How the counter-disinformation community is dealing with US government pressure”. ( EU drops sponsorship of disinformation conference at Trump officials’ request) | Digital rulesKIDS Act – a proposal to make the Internet safer for children The European Commission has proposed severely restricting children’s access to social media and other online platforms deemed to be harmful for children. The KIDS Act, presented on 17 September, would imply a gradual access to platforms as children get older. Concerning social media, the proposal says: – Under 13. Children would not be able to access social media services. They would, though, be able to use child-friendly video-sharing services through an account managed by a parent or guardian. – Age 13 to under 15. Children would be able to use social media and video-sharing services through a “mini account”, managed by a parent or guardian, with limited features and a time restriction of one hour per day.
However, the act is not only intended to put age limits on these services, it also suggests requiring design changes of all services mostly used by children – from social media and video platforms to games, AI chatbots, and app stores. The act would require these services to limit features leading to excessive use and exposure, prohibit unsolicited contact from strangers, and have safe settings by default. For confirming users’ ages, social media and video-sharing platforms would be required to verify age when a new account is opened, while online services and app stores would have to use tools to check users’ ages, while protecting their privacy. The commission proposes, for example, the EU’s age verification app, which was launched earlier this year. According to Politico, the proposed legislation has still raised concerns amongst privacy activists because of the mandate to verify users’ ages. There are also concerns that the focus on parents controlling their children’s online presence could be both invasive and disadvantageous to children whose parents are unable to spend much time with them. Next, the proposal will be considered by member states and the European Parliament. The earliest it could be implemented is mid-2028, at which point national legislations on the issue would be repealed. ( Parents, privacy, parliaments: The battle begins for von der Leyen’s social media ban) | Media freedomAcquittal of businessman accused of murdering Maltese journalist On 2 September, the Maltese business tycoon Yorgen Fenech, who had been accused of commissioning the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, was acquitted by a court. The verdict, which has by now been appealed by the prosecution, has stirred strong emotions across Europe, where the killing of Caruana Galizia by a car bomb in October 2017 has been seen as an attack on journalism. Caruana Galicia investigated corruption, money laundering, organised crime, and political misconduct in Malta. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, before her murder she had been subjected to an orchestrated campaign of harassment and vilification by the Maltese government, to silence her reporting. She had also been subjected to a series of criminal libel suits – 48 at the time of her assassination, and for this the EU’s anti-SLAPP directive is known as Daphne’s law. The European Parliament’s president, Roberta Metsola, who is herself Maltese, commented on the verdict in social media and promised that those responsible for the murder would be held to account. She wrote: “Daphne, over the last nine years they did everything and used every resource available to bury your voice, but know that they failed”. Five men have earlier been convicted for involvement in the murder of Caruana Galizia. (Malta: The fight for justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia must continue) MEPs call on strengthening democratic resilience and media support The European Parliament adopted a report on the findings of the special committee of the European Democracy Shield on 15 September. The committee is tasked with defending democracy and amongst its conclusions is that the EU’s approach currently suffers from fragmentation, as individual member states cannot effectively counter threats on their own. MEPs support the creation of the EU Centre for Democratic Resilience, which has been announced by the Commission in its Democracy Shield strategy. According to the report, this should be an independent centre to combat foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) and disinformation, and coordinate national actions. It should be set up in a binding legal act and have a dedicated budget. As attacks happen largely in the digital sphere, MEPs demand rigorous enforcement of existing digital rules (such as the Digital Services and AI Acts), rather than new legislation. They also want platforms to be held accountable and do more to combat bot-driven election interference and protect democratic discourse. MEPs also urge the EU to reduce its reliance on foreign-controlled technology in critical sectors, particularly from US tech companies and Chinese hardware, including through a balanced “buy European” strategy when investing in critical infrastructure. The report identifies Russia as the primary external threat actor but also identifies Belarus, China, Iran, and North Korea as active in this context. Regarding the media, the report concludes that strengthening media and AI literacy is key. It calls for long-term funding commitments on media freedom and investigative journalism, safeguards against illegal spyware, and support for civic participation. The special committee was set up in December 2024 because of the intensification of hostile activities targeting the EU, such as FIMI, hybrid attacks, and disinformation campaigns. The report was adopted with 420 votes for, 220 against, and 26 abstentions. (Parliament’s proposals to bolster democracy against foreign interference) |
Further reading...Although not related to EU policy as such, from France comes an important ruling in the midst of the debate regarding AI and what it might imply for jobs in the media sector. On 15 September, the French Judicial Court of Créteil ordered the partial suspension of a plan to cut eight editorial secretary posts within the Gisi media group (L’Usine nouvelle, LSA, L’Argus de l’assurance, etc.), in connection with the roll-out of artificial intelligence. Read more about it by AFP/Libération: (La justice suspend un projet de suppressions de postes liées à l’IA) | |
Don't forget our Nordic newsletterDid you know that Nordicom has another newsletter about the media policy sector in the Nordics? It is called Nordic Media Policy. |
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About the newsletter
The newsletter European Media Policy provides an update on policy developments at the European level. It concentrates on news from the European Union: current issues and trends in media policy, new proposals for legislation, debates in the European Parliament, recently taken or impending policy decisions and reactions among those concerned, new support programmes, EU studies in the field, etc. There is also some coverage of policy developments in the Council of Europe and at the international level. European Media Policy is published with support from the Nordic Council of Ministers.
Editor
Natacha Lópaz, freelance journalist
natacha.lopez@gu.se Publisher
Nordicom University of Gothenburg
PO Box 713
SE-405 30
Gothenburg
Sweden
www.nordicom.gu.se
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