Croatia today. The MFRR delegation is expected to meet with government representatives, journalists and journalistic associations, civil society, and renowned media experts to discuss the most pressing challenges to media freedom and pluralism in the country. The Croatian Journalists’ Association is one of the partners in the international delegation.
The delegation will operate from September 9 to 20, 2024, and MFRR partners will conduct an online fact-finding mission in Croatia, focusing specifically on journalist safety, media law reforms, transparency of media ownership and state advertising, the use of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP), and other legal threats (including criminal defamation provisions) against journalists, as well as the implementation of the European Media Freedom Act and protective measures against SLAPPs.
Key stakeholders include the Ministry of Culture and Media, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Agency for Electronic Media, the European Union Delegation to Croatia, several publishers’ associations, journalists’ unions and associations, editors-in-chief, and journalists from major media outlets, including Faktograf, N1, Novosti, and Telegram, as well as academics, lawyers, and civil society actors.
The MFRR mission will be led by ARTICLE 19 Europe, with the European Federation of Journalists as co-leader, in partnership with the Croatian Journalists’ Association (HND). Representatives from MFRR, the European Center for Press Freedom and Media, the International Press Institute, Free Press Unlimited, and Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa will also participate in the mission.