Members of the European Parliament (EP) will discuss the development of media freedom and the rule of law in Slovakia next Wednesday in Strasbourg, roughly seven years after the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kusnirova.
MEPs along with the Council of the European Union and European Commission, plan to assess the state of media across the Union, focusing on potential measures to protect journalists. In this regard, the EP intends to highlight challenges related to recently adopted European legislation, including the Media Freedom Act (EMFA), the directive against Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP), and the Digital Services Act (DSA).
The MEPs will "likely focus on the recent threats to the values of the European Union in general and on developments in Slovakia in particular, after expressing serious concerns in January 2024 about the rule of law in the country," according to the official EP website. The debate on this topic is scheduled for Wednesday, February 12, in the afternoon.
In late January, LIBE Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group (DRFMG) met in Brussels to discuss the current developments in Slovakia regarding the rule of law. The largest EP factions propose that the first monitoring mission of MEPs from the EP Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs (LIBE) be sent to Slovakia.
Source: TASR
