The EU Commission has released a statement commemorating World Press Freedom Day World Press Freedom Day, stating its commitment to protect journalists and independent media, even as enforcement of the European Media Freedom Act remains non-existent and mostly untested in member states such as Malta.
In a statement issued by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union, the EU said that “democracy cannot exist without a free press” and that independent media is a cornerstone of democratic society. The statement also warned that journalists must be able to work without violence, harassment, intimidation, persecution or expulsion.
The EU also noted that 2025 was the deadliest year for journalists worldwide ever recorded, referring to the killing of journalists in Russia’s war against Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon and Africa. It called for these killings to be fully investigated and for those responsible to be held accountable.
The statement also warned against SLAPPs, intimidation, repression, and outlets posing as media while spreading propaganda and echoing those in power instead of holding them accountable.
The statement, however, comes as the EU’s own European Media Freedom Act is still lacking visible enforcement in Malta. The Act also places public broadcasters under EU scrutiny, obliging member states to ensure that public broadcasting is free from political interference and that appointments are based on merit rather than political allegiance.
The same legislation also obliges governments to be transparent in their funding of the press and to prevent state funding from being used to distort the media market or punish criticism.
Malta has already been listed among countries where press freedom is systematically threatened, with Mapping Media Freedom documenting threats, legal pressure, access-to-information issues, political hostility, SLAPPs and economic pressures affecting journalists and media organisations.
The EU’s statement is therefore welcome, but its credibility will depend on enforcement. In Malta’s case, the issue is no longer whether European rules exist, but whether Brussels is willing to apply them against governments that use public broadcasting, state advertising, and public funds to distort the media landscape in their favour
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