OBCT, EFJ, CJI, and AW are launching Empowering Independent Journalism in Moldova: Strengthening Resilience Against Legal, Digital, and Physical Threats, a joint initiative aimed at reinforcing media freedom in the country.
Organised within the framework of Media Advocacy Action for Moldova: Empowering Moldova’s Public Watchdogs to Safeguard Media Freedom (MAAM) and as part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) programme, the workshop seeks to empower media professionals and civil society actors while fostering a resilient and pluralistic media environment in Moldova.
The initiative will include an advocacy-focused session on responding to legal harassment targeting public watchdogs, alongside two additional sessions dedicated to strengthening digital and physical safety for media professionals in the course of their work. Accordingly, the first session will focus on the implementation of EU and Council of Europe anti-SLAPP provisions, while the second and third sessions will address, respectively, the European Media Freedom Act and the Digital Services Act, as well as EU and Council of Europe recommendations on the safety of journalists.
Ultimately, the workshop aims to support coordinated national actions that align with EU-level advocacy mechanisms and contribute to the long-term protection of media freedom in Moldova.
Programme:
DAY 1 – Friday, 20 February 2026 (in Romanian)
8:45 – 9:15 Registration
9:15 – 9:30 Opening remarks & presentation of the MAMM and MFRR projects
9:30 – 11:00 Threats to reporting on matters of public concern: how to identify and how to respond to legal threats, Moldovan provisions, EU anti-SLAPP package (OBCT & CJI)
11:00 – 11:30 Coffee break
11:30 – 12:15 How to Identify a SLAPP: A Practical Exercise (OBCT & CJI)
12:15 – 13:00 Advocating for the transposition of the EU anti-SLAPP Directive: lessons learned from Romania and Italy (ActiveWatch & OBCT)
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch break
14:00 – 17.00 Digital Security (EFJ)
DAY 2 – Saturday, 21 February 2026 (in English with translation)
9.00-11:00 Risk Assessment for Demonstrations (EFJ)
11:00 – 11:30 Coffee break
11:30 – 12:30 Security Forces Tactics + Equipment (EFJ)
12.30 – 13.30 Lunch
13:30 – 14:30 Practical Exercise (EFJ)
This event is the result of activities carried out within the framework of the Media Freedom Rapid Response and the Media Advocacy Action for Moldova: Empowering Moldova’s Public Watchdogs to Safeguard Media Freedom project, co-financed by the CEI Fund of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), with the contribution of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
