Freedom continues to face constant pressure in Europe in 2025, due to legal threats, physical attacks and intimidation, attempts to take control over the media, and transnational repression, according to the annual report of the partner organizations of the Council of Europe Platform for the Promotion of the Protection of Journalism and the Safety of Journalists.
The report, titled “At the Turning Point: Press Freedom in 2025” finds that the war in Ukraine represented the greatest threat to journalists in 2025, according to Agerpres. Four media professionals were killed, others were injured, and many remain imprisoned in the occupied regions or have disappeared.
In several countries, public media institutions have suffered from political interference, restrictive legislation, and insufficient funding. Abuses have been widely used to silence the press.
The analysis also expresses concern about the digital surveillance of journalists and regulations regarding “foreign agents” in some states such as Russia or Georgia. Also, cases are reported when journalists from Azerbaijan, Russia, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, and Armenia have been detained or deprived of freedom.
Across Europe, journalists have frequently been the target of physical attacks by the police during protests, political actors, and protesters. Such attacks have been reported in a quarter of the states covered by this report, with the highest levels of violence recorded in Georgia, Serbia, and Turkey.
The situation has been mitigated by initiatives taken in several states and at the European level to improve press freedom and the safety of journalists, including the adoption of action plans to protect journalists and legislation in some countries to address issues such as abusive trials, disinformation, and source protection.
The annual report of the Platform covers the 46 member states of the Council of Europe, as well as Russia, and also Belarus.
The Council of Europe Platform for the Promotion of the Protection of Journalism and the Safety of Journalists was created by the Council of Europe in 2015, in cooperation with international NGOs active in the field of freedom of expression and with journalists’ associations.