Journalists Matter, Council of Europe Campaign for the Safety of Journalists
The Council of Europe encourages member states to transpose the Campaign to the national context. Without each member’s committed and effective effort at national level, through the development of the so-called ‘national chapter’, the Campaign cannot reach its goals.
In this section, we will present developments in Lithuania:
National Focal Point
Ms Dzina DONAUSKAITE, Director, Lithuanian Journalism Centre, NGO
National Campaign Committee
In Lithuania, a Working Group was established in 2022 for the coordination of the implementation of European Commission Recommendation (EU 2021/1534) on ensuring the protection, safety and empowerment of journalists and other media professionals in the European Union.
The Working Group is headed by the Ministry of Culture and composed of different actors including representatives of multiple government ministries, like the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson, the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic, and the Office of the Inspector of Journalist Ethics.
Other stakeholders include representatives of the media sector, the National Courts Administration, the Police Department, civil society like the Lithuanian Journalism Centre, and journalist unions such as the Lithuanian Society of Journalists and the Lithuanian Union of Journalists.
The Working Group was tasked to adopt its Action Plan and develop activities to implement it. This inter-institutional 2023-2025 Action Plan for the protection, safety and empowerment of journalists was then approved by the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture in September 2023.
Lithuania, National chapter
