site.btaBulgaria Remains among EU Countries with Most Serious Media Freedom Deficits, International Mission Finds

Bulgaria continues to rank among the EU countries with the most severe deficits in media freedom, according to a conclusion drawn by a fact-finding mission conducted by international press freedom organizations in Sofia between September 24 and 26. The mission held meetings with journalists, institutional representatives, and civil society organizations. The findings were presented at a news conference at the BTA National Press Club in Sofia on Friday.

Findings

“Often, we journalists become targets of verbal and physical aggression during protests. We frequently witness dismissive behaviour from politicians, people in power with immunity, and members of parliament. We are often denied interviews, refused answers to critical questions by politicians and institutions, and subjected to delays,” said Irina Nedeva from the Association of European Journalists.

According to her, it is vital that society remains well-informed and that journalists are free to do their work. She noted that on the map of the Council of Europe’s “Journalists Matter” campaign, Bulgaria stands out as one of the black spots — showing no engagement with the initiative.

Radka Becheva from the European Broadcasting Union highlighted the essential role of the media in upholding democracy, especially in an era flooded with disinformation. She stressed that to ensure this role, editorial independence is crucial. “This rests on three key elements: an adequate legal framework, an appropriate procedure for appointing and managing the leadership of public broadcasters, and sufficient funding. During our two-day visit, we observed challenges in all three areas,” she said.

Journalists in Bulgaria who cover topics of public interest — such as protests, corruption, organized crime, medicine prices and healthcare, elections, Schengen, and border management — continue to face threats. At the same time, Russian propaganda in the country is likely the strongest it has been since the fall of communism, noted Pavol Szalai from Reporters Without Borders.

Flutura Kusari from the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom said that the mission concluded that Bulgaria’s legal environment poses ongoing risks to journalists. “We identified the presence of SLAPP lawsuits (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) targeting journalists and media outlets. Investigative journalists and those reporting on crime and corruption are particularly frequent targets. The most common plaintiffs in these cases are large businesses, insurance companies, politicians, and judges. Many of these lawsuits include demands for disproportionately high damages. We had a very open and constructive discussion with the Ministry of Justice,” she added.

Recommendations

Among the mission’s recommendations are that the government and political authorities should refrain from and publicly condemn all cases of discrediting, vilifying, intimidating, or threatening journalists, including online attacks. Legislation should be revised to strengthen the Criminal Code with harsher penalties for those convicted of assaults against journalists. Additionally, a systematic classification of attacks against the media and media professionals should be created.

The government is urged to implement reforms aligned with the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), aimed at enhancing editorial and institutional independence for Bulgarian National Television (BNT) and Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), while also ensuring that both public broadcasters receive adequate, sustainable, and predictable funding. The report emphasises the need for a fair and transparent procedure for selecting the Director-Generals of BNT and BNR.

Authorities are also encouraged to continue training judges, prosecutors, lawyers, and police officers on European standards relating to media freedom, including defamation, SLAPP lawsuits, hate speech, access to information, and the protection of whistleblowers and journalistic sources. According to the experts, this is essential to ensure that judicial rulings and practices align with the standards of the European Court of Human Rights.

The government should promptly implement and harmonize national legislation with the European Media Freedom Act through a transparent and inclusive process. In addition to the aforementioned reforms of public media and media regulators, the government must establish a transparent, functional, up-to-date, and easily accessible register of media ownership, available to both journalists and the public.

The delegation of press freedom organizations represented the Council of Europe’s Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists and the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) mechanism. The experts met with institutional representatives, including the President of Bulgaria, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Interior, the Council for Electronic Media, the Prosecutor General's Office, the Commission for Personal Data Protection, and the Central Election Commission. Meetings were also held with the directors-general of the National Television and National Radio and representatives of journalists’ organizations, trade unions, experts, civil society groups, and academia.