Press under pressure: New MPM warns of rising threats to media pluralism ahead of EMFA full enforcement

Florence, 27 June 2025 — Independent journalism across Europe is facing mounting pressure from economic, technological, and political forces, threats that now cut across nearly every EU Member State. This is the key warning from the 2025 Media Pluralism Monitor (MPM2025), published today by the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF) at the European University Institute.
The report lands just weeks ahead of the EU’s deadline for full implementation of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA). Its findings reveal widespread systemic vulnerabilities, underscoring that legal frameworks alone are insufficient without institutional independence, financial stability, and real enforcement.
Key findings

  • Market Plurality is the EU’s most fragile area: both media ownership concentration and digital platform dominance are at very high-risk levels. 18 countries still lack mechanisms to assess the impact of media mergers on pluralism, as requested by the EMFA.
  • AI and tech platform power pose new challenges: only a handful of countries report ongoing negotiations with tech firms over fair remuneration for media content they benefit from.
  • Journalists face growing threats: online harassment (including deepfakes and AI-driven smear campaigns), vexatious lawsuits (SLAPPs), physical intimidation, and surveillance on
  • journalists are increasing, including in Western EU Member States.
  • Working conditions in journalism are “deplorable”: low pay, shrinking job security, and weak social protections make editorial independence highly vulnerable to commercial or political pressure.
  • Political capture persists, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, but not exclusively. Local media are frequently politicised through skewed subsidies or direct ownership.
  • Digital political advertising is largely unregulated: while electoral broadcast rules are generally sound, online campaign transparency is alarmingly weak across the board, pending the application of the 2024 EU regulation on transparency and targeting of political advertising.
  • Despite decades of awareness on the issue, women remain persistently underrepresented in editorial leadership and media governance across the EU, including in countries that otherwise score well. The indicator on gender parity is one of the lowest-performing in the entire index, outside of the economic risks.

“This report doesn’t just diagnose strain on the media sector; it exposes a structural stress test for European democracy itself,” said Prof. Pier Luigi Parcu, Director of the CMPF. “Safeguarding press freedom starts with strong laws, but it also requires independent institutions, resilient newsrooms, and sustained public engagement.”
Policy recommendations
With the EMFA’s full application scheduled for August, the MPM2025 identifies urgent gaps in institutional readiness, especially among National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) tasked with upholding new EU digital and media laws.
The analysis points to the need for:

  • Independent, well-resourced regulators with political and budgetary autonomy.
  • Mandatory transparency of media ownership, including beneficial owners.
  • Levelling the playing field between the media and big tech, including regarding AI content use and monetisation.
  • Assessing the impact of media market concentration on pluralism and editorial independence, introducing rules that fully comply with Art. 22 EMFA
  • Sustainable quality media, opposing disinformation.
  • Robust whistleblower, anti-SLAPP and anti-spyware protections.
  • Sustainable support for local, minority, and public interest journalism.

“Assessing media pluralism in the digital age means addressing complex factors such as platform regulation, technological dependence, economic sustainability,” said Prof. Elda Brogi, Deputy Director of the CMPF. “Ensuring the structural conditions for media pluralism is more crucial than ever to uphold and protect democratic societies.”
About the report
The Media Pluralism Monitor is the most comprehensive EU-wide assessment of media pluralism risks, using 20 indicators across four core areas: Fundamental Protection, Market Plurality, Political Independence, and Social Inclusiveness. The 2025 implementation integrates EMFA-aligned variables and introduces a new six-tier risk scale for greater precision. Co-funded by the European Union, the report maintains full academic independence and applies a robust, evidence-based methodology.
Full report
Interactive map with data per country