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EMFA is one of the greatest achievements of our previous term

On Tuesday, July 8, 2025, Slovenian Member of the European Parliament Irena Joveva took part in the European Parliament’s plenary session during a debate on the state of implementation of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) across EU Member States.

Joveva opened her remarks by stressing that EMFA stands as one of the cornerstone legislative achievements of the Parliament’s previous term. The act was developed in response to growing concerns over media interference and political pressure—concerns rooted not in theory, but in real, lived experiences, including her own country:

“This legislation was born out of necessity. It came as a response to direct political attacks—such as those by the Janša government on the Slovenian Press Agency and RTV Slovenia. Unfortunately. And when you experience this firsthand, you understand just how vital strong European safeguards really are.”

She warned that while the act is set to come fully into force in just one month, many Member States are failing to take its implementation seriously. Some have yet to begin preparations at all. In light of this, Joveva called on the European Commission to immediately initiate infringement proceedings against governments that are falling behind:

“Since the act’s adoption, media freedom has deteriorated in parts of the EU—Slovakia is just one example. And no media outlet anywhere in Europe is truly immune to political pressure. Media freedom is like any other freedom: once it’s suffocated, it’s incredibly hard to bring back. Its value only becomes clear when it’s gone.”

She also underlined that the EMFA includes a range of crucial safeguards: protection for journalists and editors from political interference, insulation from private interests, and limits on the unaccountable influence of digital platforms. But these guarantees, she stressed, are only as strong as the political will to enforce them:

“Provisions on paper are not enough. Without firm, consistent implementation—especially by the Commission—these safeguards risk remaining little more than principled declarations, devoid of real impact.”

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”They are prepared”

On Monday, July 7, 2025, Slovenian MEP Irena Joveva addressed the European Parliament during a heated plenary debate ahead of a vote on the resolution “On the remembrance of victims of the post-war communist period in Slovenia.” Her intervention was a sharp condemnation of what she described as a dangerous political rewriting of history: “They love their homeland so much that they’re ready to sell it. Much like they would change the historical truth.”

Joveva began by placing the debate in a broader geopolitical context. While the world is facing wars, genocide, and the unraveling of liberal democracy—with equality reduced to a mere illusion—some MEPs, she argued, have chosen instead to distort Slovenia’s past by promoting a historically inaccurate resolution aimed at rewriting its post-war period.

She strongly denounced this deliberate political instrumentalization of history, calling it a form of cynicism of the lowest kind. In her speech, she pointed out the glaring hypocrisy of those supporting the resolution:

“The resolution is being endorsed, for example, by those in Austria who question Slovenia’s territorial integrity through their national anthem. And by those who, over the weekend, shouted that they are prepared at the concert. So these so-called Slovenian patriots love their country so much—they’re ready to sell it.”

Joveva emphasized that such actions are not about honoring victims or upholding dignity, but are instead a calculated attempt to reshape historical narratives to serve narrow political agendas:

”They are prepared. They’ve begun rewriting history. And they will continue by tearing down everything we once took for granted in the European Union.”

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“Once the cradle of democracy, today unfortunately a country in a completely different light”

On Wednesday, 17 January 2024, MEP Irena Joveva (Freedom/Renew) took part in the debate on the rule of law and media freedom in Greece at the plenary session in Strasbourg. In her introduction, the MEP recalled that Greece is historically known as the cradle of democracy, but today, unfortunately, the country is “in a completely different light”.

As she pointed out, media freedom in Greece is strongly influenced by deep-rooted systemic obstacles, which stem, among other things, from the lack of media pluralism and the oligarchic ownership structure of media houses that dictate the editorial policy of the media, which consequently also leads to self-censorship:

“The murder of journalist Giorgos Karaivaz remains unsolved. Journalists are facing numerous legal proceedings. Unfounded. In order to silence them.”

According to Joveva, all of the above creates obstacles to independent and critical reporting. The MEP is concerned that at a time when the European level is setting standards for resolving situations such as those in Greece through the Media Freedom Act, the Greek government is proposing a law that would increase prison sentences for journalists.

“That is why we must not remain silent. We must monitor the implementation of European media legislation in Greece. We must fight to ensure that the cradle of democracy does not also become its graveyard,” she concluded.

The resolution on the state of the rule of law and media freedom in Greece is expected to be approved by MEPs at the first plenary session in February.

You can watch the full video here.

BACKGROUND

The past few years have seen a marked deterioration in media freedom in Greece, which has led the Mediterranean country to fall to the bottom of the European Union’s press freedom rankings. This worrying situation, which coincides with the rise to power of the centre-right New Democracy party, has also raised alarms in Brussels. The country was rocked in recent years by the murder of Giorgos Karaivaz, an investigative journalist who reported on links between the Greek criminal underworld and allegedly corrupt police officers.

While Karaivaz’s murder was the most glaring example of the deterioration in the safety of journalists, the media freedom situation has also deteriorated due to a lack of media pluralism, political interference in the independence of the media and the concentration of media ownership in the hands of wealthy oligarchs. This trend poses a serious threat not only to media freedom in Greece, but is also a cause for concern at European level.

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“How many of you have ever made a joke about young people who still live with their parents?”

On Wednesday, December 13th, 2023, MEP Irena Joveva discussed the European Union’s strategy to help young people coping with the housing and cost of living crisis at the plenary session in Strasbourg. How many of you here have ever made a joke about young people, for example 30-year-olds and 40-year-olds, who still live with their parents? Or heard those “jokes” about the mama hotel, Joveva asked her colleagues present at the outset.

“I guess many of you. I find such remarks sad. The circumstances that the younger generations face today can only be funny in satire, which is not the case in reality.”

As the MP pointed out, young people find themselves in an unfavourable economic environment, which is reflected in the lack of affordable real estate, record high inflation and high interest rates on loans on the one hand, and in the lack of quality, stable and adequately paid jobs on the other. According to her, all of the above puts young people in an even more unenviable position, which “not only threatens their independence, but also their mental health”.

“Initiatives to create quality jobs at the European Union level exist and aim to regulate the labor market in a youth-friendly way, but what we lack is initiatives for affordable housing.”

The MP continued with proposals for measures that the European Union could introduce in this area: encouraging the construction of new housing, introducing subsidies for young people when purchasing housing, enabling favourable credit conditions, etc.

She concluded her speech with a call for measures to improve the situation of young people, implemented through strategies, to be realized

You can watch the full speech here.

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“No one need fear media legislation … except those who are eager to restrict and abuse”

On Tuesday, 28 March 2023, MEP Irena Joveva attended the meeting of the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education and its first exchange of views on the European Media Freedom Act, which will establish a common framework for media services in the Union’s internal market. “No one need fear media legislation … except those who are eager to see media freedom restricted and abused,” she made clear.

Joveva began by pointing out that media freedom is of paramount importance for our democracy and that it is an area that has too often been neglected in the Union’s rule of law toolbox.

“We can now clearly see that it is easier to defend existing freedom than to restore it once it has been demolished.”

Joveva supported her view by pointing out that what happens in one Member State has an impact on others and ultimately on the whole Union, including the single market. She noted that the Regulation proposes some common basic principles—such as the rights of media service recipients and providers—which she believes should be fully endorsed to ensure their direct application throughout the Union. The act should, above all, provide legal remedies for journalists, citizens and media service providers to protect various rights, she added.

“The most important thing I would like to stress is that no one should fear this European level media legislation—with the exception of those who are eager to restrict media freedom or abuse the media for their own or partial interests.”

In her view, the Regulation introduces a soft but encouraging push towards communication between national regulators to boost cooperation within the EU, thereby increasing public access to key information and creating safeguards within the Union; safeguards which ought not to be needed in an ideal world, but the reality is simply otherwise. The Act foresees the creation of a European Board for Media Services, which Joveva believes should not only be truly independent, but also have the discretion to give opinions on various topics.

“Transparency is one of the key parts of the Act, as it touches on ownership, state funding and advertising, which I would wish to see extended to all state actors, including state-owned companies. The fact is that there already are extremely large concentrations in Union markets, and these can have important political connotations. Thus, any potential merger or takeover in the media sector should be carefully and publicly scrutinised, while ensuring that the media provider has a sufficient degree of editorial independence, regardless of ownership.”

Joveva would furthermore equip the Board with even more expertise by including a wider range of participants, such as journalists’ associations, media representatives and media experts. As she pointed out, this is crucial for its functioning, as some national regulators lack expert support, and in some cases their staff are politically selected.

She also touched on Article 17, which has stirred up some controversy in terms of striking a balance. Joveva sees a solution in the appropriate designation process, which should ensure unambiguity as to who deserves certain privileges, but would also ensure greater transparency. Joveva admitted that she was initially sceptical about media exemptions, but now believes that professional and reputable media deserve a special place in relation to online platforms, as these have an increasing influence on our lives and perception of the world.

“I would like to stress that it is the responsibility of all of us and all Member States to protect the fundamental values of our democracies, with media freedom at the very top.”

The MEP concluded her speech by expressing optimism that all further discussions on the Act will be fruitful and that cooperation between the rapporteurs on the Act will prove effective.

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To the CEO of Apple: Enable the use of the Slovenian language!

On Thursday, 12 January 2023, MEP Irena Joveva sent an open letter to Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, calling for the use of Slovenian on Apple devices, operating systems and extensions such as voice assistance and synchronisation. European citizens deserve the right to use content in their mother tongue, regardless of the prevalence of a particular language, she wrote.

In her letter, the MEP stated that the company’s products and services are accessible to different generations, none of whom should be disadvantaged or discriminated against. She stressed the importance of the Slovenian language,

“Our Slovenian language has been able to stand the test of time even though our country, nation, and population are not among the largest or most powerful in the world. However, our language is not limited in its ability to express ideas, process information or give meaning to things, nor in its richness”, the MEP reinforced her point.

MEP Joveva signing the letter to the CEO of Apple.

MEP Joveva signing the letter to the CEO of Apple.

In her letter, Joveva referred to Slovenian legislation and its explanations, as well as to European Union legislation, expressing disappointment that – with the exception of streaming content – Apple’s services, content, devices and systems are not available in Slovenian.

She called on the company and its CEO to change their approach to the single (digital) European market and the EU’s official languages, including those with fewer speakers:

“I am sure you and your company want to refrain from contributing to the digital extinction of languages. Legal obligations or not, every single European deserves the dignity and respect they deserve – in their mother language.”

With this letter, the MEP continues her activities to protect the Slovenian language in the digital world. Last autumn, she sent an open letter to the CEOs of three companies that offer streaming content in Slovenia, but without Slovenian language support. She will continue her activities by extending the initiative with her fellow Members of the European Parliament and by raising awareness about discrimination of digital platforms against speakers of Slovenian.

You can read the open letter to Apple’s CEO in the original here.

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