European Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparency, Věra Jourová

In the first Annual Report on the Rule of Law situation in the European Union published in September 2020, the European Commission evaluated the media pluralism and freedom situation in the 27 member states and raised some issues regarding media practices. Among those exist concerns about the political independence of media, the risks of politicisation of media authorities, threats to journalists in retaliation for their work, the scarcity of adequate resources for new media outlets, and more.  The COVID-19 pandemic crisis has further aggravated this situation and many measures taken to tackle the ‘infodemic’ appeared to be used for political purposes. In this context, what are the next steps planned by the European Commission to support the media sector?

The Robert Schuman Centre and The Centre for Media Pluralism and Freedom are honoured to host European Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparency, Věra Jourová, to answer that question. The dialogue will feature an introduction from the Director of the Robert Schuman Centre, Brigid Laffan and will be chaired by Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom Director, Pier Luigi Parcu.

The special event is organised in the context of this year’s CMPF Online School for Journalists and Media Practitioners.