Defending the right to freedom of information and promoting the transnational public debate on violations registered in the European Union as well as in the enlargement and Eastern Partnership countries are the objectives of the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom - ECPMF , of which OBC Transeuropa is one of the founding members.
The services OBCT provides to ECPMF include the development and curation of the Resource Centre on Media Freedom in Europe and an ongoing work of information and in-depth analysis on key issues for European democracy, in network with numerous media partners in Italy and South-Eastern Europe.
ENVIRONMENT Serbia: toxic substances and dangerous railways
Belgrade | Antonela Riha | 26/1/2023Little or nothing is known about the impact and responsibility of 20 tonnes of ammonia leaking from a tank on a freight train in southeast Serbia, an accident that also claimed two lives. In Serbia, it remains hard for citizens to obtain information about these environmental disasters
INTERVIEW Romania: plagiarism, a gateway to corruption
Sielke Kelner | 19/12/2022In this conversation with Emilia Șercan, investigative journalist and senior lecturer at the University of Bucharest, we explored the state of the art of Romanian journalism and reflected upon the different meanings of plagiarism in a country where corruption remains rampant
Latvia: Media regulator urged not to revoke Dozhd license pending court review
| 12/12/2022Together with our MFRR partners, we express concern over the decision to revoke the broadcast license of the independent TV station Dozhd: independent Russian journalism should be provided a safe refuge in Europe
Meduza’s statement regarding the revocation of TV Rain’s Latvian broadcasting license
Meduza | 7/12/2022We share the full text of Meduza's statement in support of independent Russian broadcaster TV Rain
Multiple journalists threatened and harassed in Serbia, authorities must take urgent action
| 6/12/2022OBCT joins the Media Freedom Rapid Response partners and the Safe Journalists Network in condemning in the strongest terms the intimidation and often orchestrated campaigns by pro-government media outlets and members of the public to silence journalists in Serbia
RIGHTS Turkey, bombs and censorship
Istanbul | Kenan Behzat Sharpe | 2/12/2022The recent attack in the heart of Istanbul brought the issue of political violence in Turkey back to the fore, but also dramatically exposed the limitations on access to free information in the country
Bulgarian far-right party’s ‘foreign agent’ bill sparks media freedom concerns
29/11/2022Press freedom groups raise alarm that law appears intended to target critical media in Bulgaria
Italy: Newspaper Domani sued for defamation by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
Redazione | 25/11/2022At the conclusion of the preliminary hearing in the case of aggravated defamation against two journalists from the daily newspaper Domani initiated by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, an appeal for the lawsuit to be dropped and for a comprehensive reform of defamation laws in Italy
Milan shelter city: protected residences for threatened journalism
Redazione | 22/11/2022Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa, Q Code Mag and ECPMF, in collaboration with the Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Foundation, present the event “Milan shelter city: protected residences for threatened journalism”
Milan city of refuge: protected residences for threatened journalism
OBC Transeuropa | 18/11/2022A public event to present the Journalist-in-Residence (JiR) protected residence project, coordinated by OBC Transeuropa, Q Code Mag and the European Center for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), members of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) consortium, to relaunch the idea of Milan as a shelter city for journalists. Two journalists who have benefited from the JiR protection programme will be present and will share their experiences
INTERVIEW Gag complaints, an anti-SLAPP shield is coming
Paola Rosà | 22/11/2022OCCRP, the transnational investigative journalism platform against crime and corruption, has devised a system to prevent lawsuits, prevent self-censorship, and defend journalists from gag lawsuits – an actual shield in defence of reporters. We interviewed Drew Sullivan, co-founder of OCCRP
Italy: a call in support of Roberto Saviano, defendant in a defamation trial
Coalition CASE | 16/11/2022At the conclusion of the first hearing in the proceedings for aggravated defamation initiated by current Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni against Roberto Saviano in 2021, we express our solidarity with the Italian journalist for his commitment to the public interest
RULE OF LAW Italy, journalism and the rule of law
Maria Francesca Rita | 17/11/2022In a country where media freedom and pluralism are formally protected by a solid legislative framework, the ability of journalists to conduct their investigative work still faces several challenges. We discussed these issues in an interview with Lorenzo Bagnoli, IrpiMedia journalist
SCANDAL “Predatorgate”, dozens of Greek ministers and journalists under surveillance
Athens | Alessio Giussani | 9/11/2022New revelations reopen the surveillance scandal in Greece: dozens of journalists, politicians, and entrepreneurs were targeted by secret services and spyware. Who gave the orders?
RIGHTS Against SLAPPs, the first European conference
Sielke Kelner | 7/11/2022The first European conference for the fight against SLAPPs, also known as gag or reckless complaints, was held in Strasbourg on 20 October, organised by the European Center for Press and Media Freedom and the Coalition against SLAPP in Europe. The report of the event
MEDIA AND POLITICS Romania: the interference of parties in the media
Mihaela Iordache | 3/11/2022A recent report by the Council of Europe exposes the flow of money that goes from political parties to the media in Romania, and the consequent subordination
The Media Freedom Resource Centre is an open online platform that facilitates quick and systematic access to an ever-growing collection of resources on media freedom and pluralism, such as region-wide and country-specific publication and practical tools for journalists, practitioners, policy makers. Whether you are journalist, a media expert or an organisation, use this crowd-sourcing platform to share and disseminate your materials!
Building on a previous Wiki GLAM initiative, Wiki4MediaFreedom aims at boosting the availability of accurate knowledge on media freedom and pluralism in Europe on Wikipedia. People who are willing to contribute, learn and help disseminate in languages other than English relevant information on these topics are very welcome to join!
Through a partnership between Index on Censorship, European Federation of Journalists and Reporters Without Borders Mapping Media Freedom monitors and visualises the state of media freedom in Europe by crowdsourcing reports of violations and limitations from journalists and press freedom watchdogs. Get involved!

OBCT took part in the European project Safety Net for European Journalists. A Transnational Support Network for Media Freedom in Italy and South-east Europe

24 Vesti Macedonia- The first Macedonian all news TV channel and on-line news provider All the news |
Beta Serbia- One of the main Serbian press agencies All the news |
Bianet Turkey- Independent press agency, with a special focus on civil society All the news |
Courrier des Balkans France- The main French on-line news provider on South East Europe All the news |
Dilema Veche Romania- Romania's main weekly, focusing on culture and social issues. It has both a paper and on-line version All the news |
H-Alter Croatia- Independent on-line news provider, with a special focus on civil society All the news |
MediaCentar Bosnia Herzegovina- Supporting the development of independent and professional journalism in Bosnia and Herzegovina All the news |
Mediapool Bulgaria- Created in 2001, it is the oldest Bulgarian on-line news provider All the news |
Kosovo 2.0 Kosovo- is an online magazine which, since 2010, involves talented young media professionals in Kosovo. All content is published in Albanian, English and Serbian. It has 14.200 fans in Facebook and 4.900 Twitter followers All the news |
Radio Popolare Italy- Broadcasting from Milan, Popolare is both a radio and a network of 17 of the Italian main radio stations covering among other Rome, Florence, Turin, Venice All the news |
Radio Študent Slovenia - One of Europe's oldest and strongest independent and non-commercial urban radio stations All the news |
Shqiptarja Albania- Independent media-group based in Tirana All the news |
Athens Live Greece- Independent media, on-the-ground source for stories, news, and images from Athens and throughout Greece. All the news |
Vijesti Montenegro- The main daily newspaper in Montenegro. It has both a paper and an on-line version. It started its publications in 1997 All the news |
Former partner of the network (2015-2016): The Press Project Greece- Daily on-line news provider on Greece. Specialized in features and analyses
All the news
The project European Centre for Press and Media Freedom is co-funded by the European Commission