From 19 to 21 May, partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) will carry out a press freedom mission in Zagreb. The aim of the mission is to engage with government officials and media representatives to discuss key recommendations from the MFRR fact-finding report and to stress the urgent need for Croatia to fully implement the EU anti-SLAPP Directive and ensure the effective enforcement of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA).
The report, titled “Precarity and Political Pressure: Addressing the Challenges Undermining Media Freedom in Croatia,” was published in February 2025. It highlights the importance of addressing legal threats to journalists in Croatia – including criminal defamation laws, restrictions on judicial transparency, weak labour protections, and the need for timely and proper implementation of EMFA.
Between January 2024 and 16 May 2025, the Safe Journalists platform recorded 41 attacks or threats against journalists and media outlets in Croatia, affecting 39 journalists and media workers. Around 67 percent of the incidents involved verbal abuse, while approximately 41 percent included intimidation. Three cases were related to election coverage and five to environmental reporting. The most recent incident occurred on 10 May 2025, when a reporter and cameraman from Nova TV were assaulted while covering illegal occupation and environmental destruction of state-owned land along the Una River.
The delegation will assess the current state of media freedom in Croatia, review progress on the implementation of previous recommendations, evaluate the government’s response to media rights violations, and examine reported delays in EMFA enforcement. MFRR representatives will meet with government officials, members of the judiciary, the Office of the Ombudswoman, local publishers, and journalists. The mission will conclude with a meeting at the EU Delegation in Zagreb.
The mission will be led by the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), joined by representatives from ARTICLE 19 Europe, Free Press Unlimited (FPU), the International Press Institute (IPI), and OBC Transeuropa (OBCT).
A report with updated findings and recommendations will be published following the mission and shared with EU institutions and relevant international bodies. The objective of the mission is to promote accountability, strengthen protection mechanisms for journalists, and support Croatia’s alignment with European media freedom standards.
A press conference will be held in Zagreb on Wednesday, 21 May at 1:30 PM at the Croatian Journalists’ Association (Grand Hall, Novinarski dom).
For more information or to arrange interviews with mission members, please contact: [email protected].