On 3 May 2022, Věra Jourová, Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of Values and Transparency, attended a plenary session debate of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France on threats to the safety of journalists and media freedom, on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day.

The safety of journalists is a priority for the EU, in this intent, the Commission has presented in September last year, recommendations to Member States to improve the safety of journalists. The Commission also proposed a legislation to protect journalists against abusive lawsuits – strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) on 27 April 2022. The Commission adopted also a recommendation to encourage Member States to align their rules with the proposed EU law, including for domestic cases and in all proceedings.

This video shows the opening statement made by Věra Jourová on this occasion.