By George Frangos*
The implementing bill for the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) has been shuttling between the Interior Ministry, the Legal Service and Parliament for nearly two years. This despite the fact that the Republic of Cyprus was required to transpose it into national law by September 2025.
Public consultation on the proposed legislation was limited and largely superficial. Only two meetings were held: a broad consultation involving all stakeholders on 15 April 2025 and a more specialised meeting at the competent ministry on 9 May 2025 attended by the Cyprus Journalists Union, the Media Complaints Commission and the Publishers Association. Electronic correspondence followed.
However, very little of what the directly affected stakeholders said or submitted in writing was taken into account. The original bill was presented in March 2025, a revised version in February 2026, and for the past eight months it has effectively lain dormant in the drawers of Parliament, the ministry and the Legal Service.
The primary objective of the EMFA, as conceived by the European institutions, is to safeguard media pluralism and the independence of media organisations and journalists.
Yet what is before us is a Frankenstein bill that overturns, distorts and undermines that fundamental objective. Unfortunately, the directly involved stakeholders were not heard. As a result, we are faced with a legislative monstrosity that places emphasis not on protection, but on control and on exceptions to the very rule it is supposedly promoting.
It even introduces additional administrative, punitive and criminal provisions against media organisations and journalists, something that clearly runs contrary to both the spirit and the letter of the EMFA.
The proposed legislation also clearly violates the principle of self-regulation within the journalism profession. Will others, appointed by the state, decide on journalistic content instead of journalists themselves?
Journalists, publishers and their representative bodies should determine matters relating to their profession. No one else. That is how things are done in all democratic states governed by the rule of law.
Under the proposed bill, the Radio and Television Authority and the Press and Information Office would be granted new powers, including the imposition of administrative fines, expanded supervisory responsibilities and even criminal sanctions.
These new powers are neither appropriate nor proportionate for the Broadcasting and Digital Services Authority or the Press and Information Office. More importantly, they are inconsistent with the democratic spirit of the times and with the principles of a united Europe.
With regard to the lifting of journalistic source confidentiality, we believe that Article 17 of the Constitution is more than sufficient to address any need that may arise to monitor a journalist or journalists.
It makes little sense to enact separate legislation for a specific professional group. Who decided that journalists are more prone to criminal activity and therefore require special treatment? Equality before the law dictates that all citizens should be judged by the same standards.
If this disgraceful bill reaches the plenary session of Parliament in its current form and is approved, it will justifiably provoke significant criticism of Cyprus and its institutions throughout Europe.
We are warning of reactions both at the level of the European Parliament and from the European and International Federations of Journalists.
Finally, if the 1989 Press Law were not so outdated, obsolete and ineffective, implementation of the EMFA would be considerably easier.
Unfortunately, the journalism profession remains unregulated. Existing legislation governs only the operation of the print media, while there is no institutional provision for journalists working in radio, television or online media.
At the same time, a government department, the Press and Information Office, issues press credentials based on a ministerial decree.
Meanwhile, the internationally recognised press card issued by the Cyprus Journalists Union, the only professional trade union representing Cypriot journalists and an active member of both the International Federation of Journalists and the European Federation of Journalists, is not only disregarded but actively opposed by the state itself.
The conclusions are yours to draw.
*President of the Cyprus Journalists Union
