Nine years after the murder of Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, six months past the 7 May 2026 transposition deadline for the EU Anti-SLAPP Directive, and two years since the issuing of the Council of Europe Recommendation on countering SLAPPs, journalists and other public watchdogs across Europe remain vulnerable to legal harassment used to silence critical reporting. This webinar addresses an urgent question:
Where do EU Member States, candidate countries and the UK stand on implementing anti-SLAPP measures, and what have we learned so far?
Against a backdrop of uneven progress across the continent, the session examines the different national and transnational approaches taken, the challenges encountered, and early lessons from implementation efforts.
Civil society actors who have led advocacy campaigns against SLAPPs across Europe will share their direct experiences. The discussion will illuminate existing practices at national and transnational level, explore obstacles faced when protecting public watchdogs, and identify promising strategies. Participants will reflect on what has worked, what has proven difficult, and how collective advocacy can strengthen anti-SLAPP protections throughout Europe.
Building on Daphne Caruana Galizia’s legacy, the discussion will feature her sister, Corinne Vella, who was involved in the mobilisation that followed Daphne’s killing, alongside leading investigative journalists and representatives of European civil society.
By examining seven concrete case studies—Malta, Spain, Serbia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, and Romania—the panel will explore how SLAPPs operate in different media and legal environments across Southern, Northern and Eastern Europe. It will also look at how European governments are responding, in practice, to the call of the EU and the Council of Europe to implement Anti-SLAPP provisions, and what these changes mean for journalists facing legal pressure.
Finally, recognising that legislation alone cannot effectively counter legal harassment, the panel also reflects on the domestic and transnational tools civil society holds. How can we build stronger cross-sector and cross-border networks to enable collective responses to legal bullies and strengthen European civil society’s collective response against coordinated attacks?
Webinar: 14.30 – 17.30
Keynote speech: Corinne Vella, Head of Media Relations Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation
First session: 15:00-16.00
Nik Williams, Policy and campaigns officer at Index on Censorship & UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition co-chair
Tamara Filipovic, The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS), Secretary General
Maria Cheresheva, Journalist, Association of European Journalist Bulgaria
Break: 16.00 – 16.15
Second session: 16.15 – 17.30
Alessia Schiavon, FIBGAR, Director; Coordinator of the Spanish anti-SLAPP Working Group
Jasmijn De Zeeuw, Free Press Unlimited, Legal Advisor; Coordinator of the Dutch anti-SLAPP Working Group
Ovidiu Vanghele, Journalist, Alianța “A Patra Putere”
Moderator: Sielke Kelner, Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa, Advocacy Officer; CASE Italia Coordinator
Register here: https://l1nq.com/nhc0an4
