News and activities
Kick-off event of an online course for legal professionals on freedom of expression in Bosnia and Herzegovina
First online course for legal professionals on freedom of expression, that will be tutored by Council of Europe expert and judge at the Supreme Court of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Svjetlana Milišić Veličkovski, is now available for 15 participants – judges and prosecutors from Bosnia...
The role of the media regulatory authorities in the Western Balkans in the new media paradigms
In order to discuss and exchange views on the role of the media regulatory authorities in the new media paradigms, a Regional Conference was organised with the participation of media regulatory authorities from the region. This Conference allowed regulators from the region to share their...
Three feature length documentaries developed with Council of Europe support had their national premieres in Chisinau
On the 6th, 7th and 8th of September, the Council of Europe project “Promoting European standards in the audiovisual regulation of the Republic of Moldova” jointly with Telefilm-Chisinau organised and hosted the national premieres of the documentaries on human rights and social issues, “Liliana’s...
Call for Tender - Purchase of consultancy services in the field of algorithmic solutions and human rights
The Council of Europe announces the tender for purchase of consultancy services in the field of algorithmic solutions and human rights (focus on privacy rights and personal data protection) - Georgia. (tender for consultants with international expertise) Tender file Act of Engagement How to...
Purchase of consultancy services (international expertise) in the field of Media and Freedom of Expression
The Council of Europe announces the tender for purchase of consultancy services in the field of Media and Freedom of Expression in Georgia. The tender is announced for consultants with international expertise. The tender involves 5 lots: Lot 1: Safety of journalists and fight against impunity Lot...
JUFREX2: Regional Summer School on European standards: freedom of expression and freedom of the media
An online Regional Summer School on European standards: freedom of expression and freedom of the media has been organised from 12 to 16 July 2021 and attended by law and political science students and young professionals from the Western Balkans. The Summer School raised awareness and improved...
International premiere of the documentary developed with Council of Europe support, “Our Eve” at TIFF Festival
Throughout 23rd of July and 1st of August, Our Eve, a long documentary addressing a series of human rights issues concerning people with disabilities in Moldova, developed with the Council of Europe support, will have its international premiere after being selected for screening at the 20th...
Police officers in Serbia trained on protection and safety of journalists
A training for police officers on “Protection and safety of journalists” was organised under the joint European Union/Council of Europe action “Freedom of expression and freedom of the media in Serbia (JUFREX 2)”, with the aim to contribute to improvement in protection of media actors and...
Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the media in Kosovo*: Training on protection and safety of journalists with lawyers and police officer
The EU/CoE action on Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the media in Kosovo* (JUFREX2) in cooperation with Bar Association organised a two-day training for lawyers and police officers on Protection and Safety of Journalists, from 01-02 July 2021. 21 lawyers and police officers (14 men and 7...
Protection and safety of journalists
Raising awareness and strengthening capacities of judges and prosecutors in Serbia
The second training for Serbian judges and prosecutors on protection and safety of journalists was organised on 21-22 June 2021 in co-operation with the Judicial Academy of Republic of Serbia. It aimed at presenting relating European standards and contributing to improvement in protection of...
Training on Protection and Safety of Journalists for prosecutors and police officers
The EU/CoE action on Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the media in Kosovo* (JUFREX2) in cooperation with the Academy of Justice organised a two-day training for prosecutors and police officers on Protection and Safety of Journalists, from 17-18 June 2021. Thematic areas such as risks and...
Media regulatory authorities and media pluralism
The publication “Media regulatory authorities and media pluralism” is a result of co-operation among media regulatory authorities from the Western Balkans. It aims to contribute to a wider understanding of the concept of media pluralism, its institutional and policy-related importance and the...
Training webinar: dealing with misinformation and using publicly available sources while handling whistle-blowers reports
The EU/CoE action on Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the media in Kosovo* (JUFREX2) and Project against Economic Crime in Kosovo* (PECK III) organized a two-day training webinar on dealing with misinformation and using publicly available sources while handling whistle-blowers reports, on...
National round table: A comprehensive approach to combating hate speech in Moldova
On 11 June 2021, the Council of Europe in cooperation with the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova, the Audiovisual Council and the Centre for Continuous Electoral Training, organised an online round table aiming to discuss the application of a comprehensive approach to...
The Council of Europe supports the celebration of the World Press Freedom Day (WFPD) in Tunisia
What is the role of the media in the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms? How has press freedom been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic? How to respond to the crisis of traditional media and the challenges of media regulation while preserving fundamental freedoms? These are among the...
Georgia: “Media Talks: How(not) to cover?” kicked off
On 27 May 2021 the series of webinars “Media Talks: How(not) to cover?” kicked off in Georgia. The series of webinars are organised by the Council of Europe in cooperation with the Charter of Journalistic Ethics of Georgia (Press Council). Up to 10 short webinars will be broadcast live on the...
Two-day thematic training for judges on “Protection of whistle-blowers“
The EU/CoE action on Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the media in Kosovo* (JUFREX2) in cooperation with the Academy of Justice organised a two-day training for judges on Protection of whistle-blowers, on 27-28 May 2021. More than 70 judges from different courts and judicial institutions...
Training for judges and prosecutors in Serbia
The joint European Union/Council of Europe action “Freedom of expression and freedom of the media in Serbia (JUFREX 2)” has organised a training for judges and prosecutors in Serbia on “Protection and safety of journalists” on 10-11 May 2021. The event was held in co-operation and under the...
Training for lawyers on access to public documents and information & freedom of expression on internet
The EU/CoE action on Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the media in Kosovo* (JUFREX2) in cooperation with the Bar Association organised a two- day training for lawyers on access to public documents and information & freedom of expression on internet, on 18-19 May 2021. Thematic areas such as...
The Right to Freedom of Expression and protection of whistle-blowers
The EU/CoE action on Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the media in Kosovo* (JUFREX2) in cooperation with the Association of Journalists organised a one day training/lecture for law and journalism students “The Right to Freedom of Expression and protection of whistle-blowers” on 20 May 2021...
Training on European and international human rights law in Ukraine
A five-day intense training course on European and international human rights law: safety of journalists, freedom of association, freedom of expression, law enforcement actions in this area and the ECtHR case law on safety of journalists, was organised in an online format in Ukraine by the...
Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the media in Kosovo*
Ethical court reporting, with special focus on Kosovo* Specialist Chambers. The rights and responsibilities of journalists
The EU/CoE action on Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the media in Kosovo* (JUFREX2) in cooperation with the Association of Journalists of Kosovo* organised a training for media actors and other relevant stakeholders in ethical court reporting, on 28 April 2021. Around 30 journalists from...
A Guide to Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights available in Serbian
The Guide to Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights is part of the series of Case-Law Guides published by the European Court of Human Rights to inform legal practitioners about the fundamental judgments and decisions delivered by the Strasbourg Court. This particular Guide analyses...
Training for lawyers in Serbia on freedom of expression
Training for lawyers in Serbia on freedom of expression and the media has been organised on 26-27 April 2021, under the joint European Union/Council of Europe action “Freedom of expression and freedom of the media in Serbia (JUFREX 2)” and in co-operation with the Bar Association of Serbia. Full...
Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Media in Serbia (JUFREX 2): 2nd Steering Committee meeting organised
“Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Media in Serbia (JUFREX 2)” organised the online Steering Committee meeting with the representatives of the partner institutions and organisations that expressed their views on the implementation process and plans for the upcoming joint activities. JUFREX...
New online course on Protection and Safety of Journalists is now available in Albanian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Montenegrin and Serbian
The course was developed by the Council of Europe Information Society Department, in cooperation with HELP Programme (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) within the framework of the action “Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Media in South-East Europe (JUFREX 2)” implemented...
Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the media in Kosovo*(JUFREX)
The thematic training on access to information and freedom of expression on internet for judges and prosecutors
The EU/CoE action on Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the media in Kosovo (JUFREX2) in cooperation with the Academy of Justice organised a two-day training for judges and prosecutors on access to information and the freedom of expression on internet, from 7 to 8 April 2021. 63 judges and...
Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the media in Kosovo*(JUFREX)
JUFREX: Second Steering Committee meeting organised on 31 March 2021
The EU/CoE action on Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the media (JUFREX) organised the Steering Committee meeting with the representatives of the partner institutions/organisations of the project, involved in the implementation of project activities on 31 March 2021. This is the second...
The second edition of the online course on Freedom of expression is now available in Albanian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Montenegrin and Serbian
The course, initially developed in 2016 by joint European Union and Council of Europe project, has been brought to-date with the latest case-law in this field, become more interactive and visually advanced within the framework of the European Union and Council of Europe joint action: “Freedom of...
Two-day training on defamation with Lawyers- JUFREX Kosovo*
Around 30 lawyers from different municipalities benefitted from a 2-day training on “Defamation and Protection of Reputation” organised by EU/CoE Action on Freedom of Expression and the Media (JUFREX) in co-operation with the Kosovo Bar Association. Freeedom of Expression and freedom of the...
Multidisciplinary webinar on the topic of intersection of responsible journalism and free access to information in Bosnia and Herzegovina
A multidisciplinary seminar on the topic of intersection of responsible journalism and free access to information in Bosnia and Herzegovina was held on 4 March 2021 in a webinar format. The goal of the event was to open the dialogue between media professionals, judiciary and government officials...
International and domestic mechanisms and resources for the protection of journalists shared with Albanian reporters
Albanian journalists get acquainted with international and domestic mechanisms and other resources for their protection. This activity was organised by the Albanian Media Council with the support of the EU and Council of Europe joint action on "Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Media in...
Freedom of Expression and its importance for democratic societies discussed with students in Pristina
The application of the right to freedom of expression in the everyday practice was in the focus of the (online) lecture with the law and journalism students in Pristina, organised with the support of the EU and Council of Europe joint action on Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the media...
New project “Legal Education in the Field of Freedom of Expression in Ukraine”
The Council of Europe Project “Legal Education in the Field of Freedom of Expression in Ukraine” was launched on 15 February 2021 and will be implemented over four months. The Project is funded by the voluntarily contribution of the Government of Flanders in the framework of the Council of Europe...
New Council of Europe Project “Strengthening Media freedom, Internet governance and Personal data protection in Georgia” launched
On 1 February 2021, the Council of Europe has started implementation of the new Project “Strengthening Media Freedom, Internet Governance and Personal Data Protection in Georgia”. The Project will be implemented for 24 months and is funded by the voluntarily contributions of donors in the...
Call for tender – technical consultancy services for Moroccan national experts
Within the framework of its 2018-2021 Neighbourhood Partnership with Morocco, the Council of Europe is implementing a project aiming at promoting freedom of expression and media pluralism in Morocco. This is a call for tenders for the provision of technical consultancy services for Moroccan...
JUFREX2: Training of trainers on Protection and Safety of Journalists
The Training of Trainers on the Protection and Safety of journalists was organised within the joint European Union/Council of Europe action “Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Media in Serbia (JUFREX 2)” with the aim to support capacities of the national training institutions in Serbia to...
Slovenian professionals first to benefit from the CoE HELP course on Freedom of Expression
A group of 30 Slovenian professionals will be taking the Council of Europe HELP course on Freedom of Expression in the upcoming period, in the first ever tutored course group following the update of the course in 2020. The course was launched on 22 January in cooperation with the Judicial...
Training of future HELP tutors in Morocco
Within the framework of the projects “Promoting freedom of expression and media pluralism in Morocco” and “Support to personal data protection in Morocco” , Tuesday 15th of December, representatives of the Communication Department of the Ministry of Culture of the Youth and Sports of Morocco,...
Regulation of Political advertising - a comparative study with reflections on the situation in South-East Europe
The study addresses the issue of political campaigning and advertising from a media regulatory perspective and offers guidelines, in line with European standards and best practices in this field. Regulatory authorities, beneficiaries of JUFREX has actively contributed to preparation of the Study...
Supporting Albanian legal professionals in addressing their training needs on freedom of expression standards
Representatives of the High Judicial Council (HJC), High Prosecutorial Council (HPC), School of Magistrates (SoM) as well as media magistrates, local and international experts on freedom of expression attended an online session organised by the School of Magistrates with the support of the...
Training of Trainers on the online courses: “Freedom of Expression” and “Safety and protection of journalists”
The Training of Trainers on HELP Methodology for the online courses: “Freedom of expression” and “Safety and protection of journalists” was organised on 15-16 December 2020 and promoted the courses that have been jointly developed by the Council of Europe Human Rights Education for Legal...
Cascade training on hate speech for judges and prosecutors of Republika Srpska
Cascade training on hate speech for the judiciary and police members of Republika Srpska gathered 15 participants. Training on criminal-law aspects of hate speech has been conducted through the discussion on international framework in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a two-track approach of the European...
Cascade training on defamation for judges and prosecutors of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Judges and prosecutors from Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBIH), participated in a cascade training on the application of the The Law on Protection against Defamation in the judiciary system. The participants were trained on defamation through the case-law of the European Court of Human...
Trainings on freedom of expression for judicial and prosecutorial assistants in Serbia
Continuing the planned training activities and promoting standards for safeguarding freedom of expression and freedom of the media at the national level remains a priority for the European Union, Council of Europe and Judicial Academy of Republic of Serbia. To ensure everyone’s safety, in 2020...
Students of Tirana University are trained in European Standards on Freedom of Expression and the Media
Students of Faculty of Law and Journalism of Tirana University are trained in European standards on freedom of expression and the media With the support from a grant from Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Media in Albania (JUFREX 2), a joint project of EU and Council of Europe in the...
Roundtable on protection and safety of journalists ‘‘Women journalists and risks to violence against women’’
The Council of Europe Office in Pristina, under framework of projects EU/CoE “Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Media (JUFREX2)” and "Reinforcing the fight against violence against women and domestic violence - Phase II" organised a roundtable discussion addressing issues related to...
The legislative framework of the fight against disinformation in Europe presented in Morocco
Within the framework of the Project Promoting Freedom of Expression and Media Pluralism in Morocco, on Monday, 30 November, the executives of the Communication Department of the Ministry of Culture of the Youth and Sports of Morocco exchanged views on the existing legislative mechanisms in Europe...
Mr. Walid Salem, Council of Europe Expert Gender, Violence and Media, Mme Cristina Oddone, Council of Europe Expert
The role of disinformation in times of crisis: how to cover the news on Covid 19 in the context of information disorder
Two training sessions were held online by the Council of Europe together with the Moroccan Young Journalists’ Forum FMJJ. The two training sessions addressed two of the partners’ priorities: the fight against disinformation and how to address violence against women (VAW) in the media in the...
Freedom of Expression: the basic principles and conditions for limitation of FoE (JUFREX 2)
The EU-CoE action “Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Media in Kosovo* - JUFREX 2” in cooperation with the Bar Association organised training for lawyers in the field of freedom of expression and the criteria for restricting this right, from 03-04 December 2020. For two days the CoE...
Moldova joins the Tromsø convention on access to public documents
On 1st December 2020 the Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents has officially entered into force. The Convention is informally called the Tromsø Convention after a small city in northern Norway, the world’s important cultural hub above the Arctic Circle, where it was...
Whistleblowing and the media: The whistleblowers as source of information
On 26 November, the HF JUFREX “ Freedom of expression and freedom of the media in Kosovo* organised a training for journalists on whistleblowing and its importance for transparency. The event has been co-organised with the beneficiary organisation the Association of Journalists. Journalists from...
The Moldovan National Public Broadcaster, Teleradio-Moldova commences the transition phase to a Convergent Newsroom
Supporting the National Public Broadcaster in Moldova, Teleradio-Moldova, in its efforts to modernise, increase market competitivity and become more efficient, on 24 November, a team of local and international media experts presented the final Strategy and Action Plan towards unifying the company...
JUFREX: two day training for judges and prosecutors on defamation and protection of reputation
The EU-CoE JUFREX action in cooperation with the partner institution the Academy of Justice organised a two day training for judges and prosecutors on defamation and protection of reputation, on 24-25 November 2020. About 40 judges and prosecutors from different courts/prosecutions attended the...
Online presentation of the “Review of the provisions of the Code on audio-visual media services regarding protection of minors”
Regulatory Communications Agency (CRA), European Union and Council of Europe have organised a webinar – presentation of an expert study on “Review of the provisions of the Code on audio-visual media services regarding protection of minors”. The study was prepared by the Council of Europe expert...
Cascade training on whistleblowers’ protection for judges and prosecutors of Republika Srpska
Judges and prosecutors from Republika Srpska participated in a cascade training on the protection of whistleblowers and on defamation on 12 and 13 November 2020. The training tackled both the regulatory framework of European Union and the Council of Europe and the domestic legislation, together...
Online training on “Accessibility of media content for people with disabilities in light of the revised European Union Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD)”
Human Rights: a reality for all Accessibility of media content for people with disabilities The online training on “Accessibility of media content for people with disabilities in light of the revised European Union Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD)” for employees of Regulatory...
Inter-professional webinar on Regulation and self-regulation and Hate speech
A two-part inter-professional seminar on Mediation of self-regulatory and regulatory body before the court proceedings and on Hate speech was held on 5 and 6 November in a webinar format and has gathered the media professionals and representatives of the judiciary. Among the goals of the webinar...
HELP online course on Data Protection and Privacy Rights launched in Georgia
The Council of Europe launched the online Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) course on Personal Data Protection and Privacy Rights in Georgia. The course will familiarise up to 30 staff members of various State Institutions, including the Ministry of Internal Affairs of...
Hands on Training on Cases of Freedom of Expression for Students of Legal Clinic of Tirana University
A group of students from the Legal Clinic of the Faculty of Law of Tirana University analysed facts of real cases related to issues of freedom of expression under the guidance of Res Publica and Council of Europe experts. Students learned how to differentiate between facts and opinions, apply...
Cascade training-webinar on whistleblowers’ protection for judges and prosecutors of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Judges and prosecutors from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) participated in a cascade training on whistleblowers’ protection, that was organised online on 5 and 6 November 2020 During the training, the experts presented on the European Court of Human Rights case-law, existing...
JUFREX 2: Albania Supports the Bar Association of Albania in Training Lawyers in Protection of Journalists
Protection and safety of journalists remains a key concern for the European Union and Council of Europe. In this context the EU and CoE joint Action on “Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Media in Albania” in collaboration with the Bar Association. With a purpose to raise the capacities and...
Restricted Consultations roundtable on the Draft Regulation on Media Ownership and Concentration of Media Service Providers in Kosovo*
To discuss the process and related steps in improving the regulation framework concerning media ownership and concentration of Audio and Audio-visual Media Service Providers in Kosovo* a restricted round table took place online in Pristina on 04 November 2020. Organised under the EU and Council...
Inter- professional hybrid workshop: Media coverage of the war heritage, war crime trials and reconciliation processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina
An inter-professional hybrid workshop on Media coverage of the war heritage, war crime trials and reconciliation processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), gathered together the media professionals and representatives of the judiciary. The goal of the workshop was to enhance understanding of the...
Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Media in SEE - Steering Committee meeting held with Beneficiaries
Beneficiaries and partners of the EU and Council of Europe joint Action on “Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Media in South-East Europe - JUFREX” confirmed their future efforts and commitment to strengthen freedom of expression and freedom of the media in the Western Balkans members, in...
Cascade training on defamation for judges and prosecutors of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Judges and prosecutors from Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBIH), participated in a cascade training on the application of the Law on Protection against Defamation in the judiciary system. The participants were trained on defamation and defamation laws through case studies, the case-law of...
Freedom of expression and freedom of the media in Serbia (JUFREX)
Protection of freedom of expression and safety of journalists
Attacks against journalists and other media actors constitute particularly serious violations of human rights because they target not only individuals, but deprive others of their right to receive information, thus restricting public debate, which is at the heart of pluralist democracy....
Cascade training on defamation for judges and prosecutors of Republika Srpska
Judges and prosecutors from Republika Srpska participated in a cascade training on Defamation in the judiciary system. The goal of the seminar was to raise the capacities of local judiciary on the standards of freedom of expression and defamation, as set by the European Convention on Human Rights...
Albanian Alliance for Ethical Media Establish Self-Regulation Mechanisms
With the purpose of actively engaging media, particularly online, to abide by the journalistic Code of Ethics in February 2020 in Albania the Alliance for Ethical Media was established. Furthering its commitment to improve the media ethics environment in Albania, JUFREX 2, a joint CoE/EU Project...
ECHR case-law related to privacy and data protection - guidance for the State Inspector’s Service in Georgia
The two-day training, in the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights related to privacy and data protection has gathered 20 participants from various departments of the State Inspector’s Service (national data protection authority). During the training, the participants received...
Guidelines available in Serbian
Safeguarding privacy in the media
The Council of Europe’s “Guidelines on safeguarding privacy in the media” have been translated into Serbian under the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022", and action on "Freedom of expression and...
Training of trainers on freedom of expression for judges and prosecutors of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Judges and prosecutors from Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBIH), participated in a training of trainers on the right to freedom of expression and the application of the Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in the judiciary system. The participants were trained on...
Call for tenders: service delivery to carry out an expertise mission for the modernization of INAI's information system (IS) (new version)
The Council of Europe is currently implementing the joint European Union/Council of Europe program: “Support Independent Bodies in Tunisia (PAII-T)”. The main objectives of the project are to accompany the establishment of the independent bodies foreseen by the Constitution of 2014 as well as...
Cascade training on freedom of expression for lawyers of Republika Srpska
Lawyers who are working in different parts of Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, participated in a cascade training on the right to freedom of expression and the application of the Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in the judiciary system. The goal of the seminar...
Information meetings for regional TV and radio managers
On 8-9 September, the Council of Europe organised two information meetings for the managers of the regional TV and radio outlet managers supported by the Communications Commission (regulatory body) and the Alliance of Regional Media Outlets of Georgia. The meetings aimed at sharing information...
Cascade training on freedom of expression for judges and prosecutors in Republika Srpska
20 judges and prosecutors participated in a cascade training on the right to freedom of expression and the application of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in the judiciary system. This seminar was the first one organised combining online and offline participation. On...
The monitoring of media coverage of local elections by the coalition of SCOs with the support of the Council of Europe launched
On 7 September 2020 the coalition of civil society organisations with the support of the Project “European Union and Council of Europe working together to support freedom of media in Ukraine” is launching the monitoring of media coverage of 2020 local elections in Ukraine. The aim of the...
Workshop on Communications and Working Strategy for the Charter of Journalistic Ethics of Georgia
On 25-26 August, the Council of Europe organised a two-day workshop for the Charter of Journalistic Ethics – the media self-regulatory body of Georgia. The event was opened by the Head of the Council of Europe Office in Georgia, Natalia Voutova, and the Executive Director of the Charter of...
Resolution on child online safety, supported by the Council of Europe, entered into force
On 1 September, Resolution on the adoption of the regulations for publishing online information that poses a threat to the child entered into force. The Resolution has been adopted by the Communications Commission of Georgia (regulatory body) with the expert assistance on behalf of the Council of...
Council of Europe's work on information society presented to Ambassadors to Belgrade
Patrick Penninckx, the Head of the Information Society Department addressed the Ambassadors to Belgrade in a webinar on the 3rd of September 2020. He presented the work of the Council of Europe in the fields of freedom of expression, media freedom, data protection and artificial intelligence. He...
15 new community radio stations in Tunisia receive equipment
A first batch of equipment was handed over to fifteen new association radios on Friday, August 7, 2020. This distribution took place in Tunis, during an official ceremony organized by the Independent High Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HAICA), when the latter had just granted the radios...
Workshop for representatives of regional media: Media regulations during electoral processes – international and domestic standards
International and domestic standards related to media coverage during elections were discussed at the workshop in Batumi Regional media representatives discussed various aspects of media coverage during elections at the workshop “Media regulations during electoral process – international and...
Improving the application of European standards in the field of freedom of expression and court reporting in Kosovo*
EU and Council of Europe are supporting media actors and institutions in Kosovo and building their capacities to improve the application of European standards in the field of freedom of expression. The first thematic training workshop for media actors and other relevant stakeholders on good...
New Council of Europe HELP course on Protection and Safety of Journalists publicly available
The new Council of Europe HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) course on Protection and Safety of Journalists is now available on the HELP online platform. The course was developed jointly with the Council of Europe Information Society Department, under the action “Freedom of...
Handover ceremony of the HELP online course certificates on Data Protection and Privacy Rights
On 17 July 2020, the Council of Europe organised the handover ceremony of certificates to the participants of the HELP online course on Data Protection and Privacy Rights. The event was opened by the State Inspector Londa Toloraia and the Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office in Georgia,...
Training on Legal Writing for State Inspector’s Service
On 8 July 2020 the Council of Europe launched the online training on Legal Writing techniques for the staff of State Inspector’s Service of Georgia. The training enrols the staff members of the Service responsible for drafting administrative decisions and providing legal opinions in the field of...
Regional online round table “Elections, pandemic and disinformation”
In order to maintain the yearly dialogue among media regulatory authorities, under the auspices of the European Union/Council of Europe joint action “Freedom of expression and freedom of the media in South-East Europe (JUFREX)”, a regional online round table “Elections, pandemic and...
Training seminars on planning and production of documentary films with focus on social issues and human rights in the Republic of Moldova
Within its project « Promoting European Standards in the Audio-visual Regulation in the Republic of Moldova », the Council of Europe, together with Telefim Chisinau supports 16 young film-makers to mainstream human rights and social issues in their documentaries. Therefore, online training...
Updated course on Freedom of Expression available on the HELP platform
An updated version of the Council of Europe HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) course on Freedom of Expression is now available on the HELP online platform. The course, which was initially developed in 2016, was updated, rebuilt and modernised jointly with the Council of Europe...
Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade
With the aim of contributing to the quality of education on freedom of expression and freedom of the media in Serbia, on 16 June the Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Belgrade and the Council of Europe Office in Belgrade. The document...
Defamation and Insult legislation in North Macedonia: Step by step
The second webinar which was a follow-up to the webinar held in April 2020, took place today, 12 June 2020 in Skopje, North Macedonia. The webinar was focusing on the new local and regional developments in the defamation and insult legislation. Professional journalists, representatives of the...
High-level online discussion on countering impunity for the crimes against journalists in Ukraine
“Journalists in Ukraine are facing risks every day, while doing their work in the East of the country, during the quarantine and covering important topics. We believe that all crimes against journalists have to be investigated in a good quality and as quickly as possible. We are committed to it....
Youngest and the world of media
Children are surrounded by the media from their birth – media and communication platforms and content are part of their environment; children are active users of the media. Making children media literate means having future society of aware and responsible individuals. Within the joint EU and...
Support to freedom of expression and freedom of the media in Albania: Grant agreements signed with Albanian partners
The joint CoE/EU Project “Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Media in Albania (JUFREX 2)” has reached a commitment of collaborating through grants with four Albanian partners: the School of Magistrates, the Bar Association, the Albanian Media Council and Res Publica. The Action under the...
Democracy Talks: the role of Public Broadcaster in a time of crisis
Patrick Penninckx, head of the Council of Europe Information Society Department, together with the Ambassador of Sweden to Ukraine, Tobias Thyberg, will make an opening speech at the web-conference “Democracy Talks: The role of Public Broadcaster in time of crisis” on 14 May (15.00-16.30). The...
Awarded Moldovan documentary "Soroca's Great Theater" now available online
This week Telefilm-Chisinau organised the online premiere of the documentary "Soroca's Great Theater". By now it was only screened in cinemas. The documentary shows the life of ordinary Roma people from Soroca town in the north of Moldova, aiming at raising awareness about human rights and...
Improving the defamation and insult practice in North Macedonia
The first webinar on Improving Defamation and Insult practice in North Macedonia took place on 30 April 2020, sharing with actors and partners in the field key knowledge and information about the implementation of the Law on Civil Liability of Defamation and Insult and fostering the process of...
Invitation to tender for purchase of international consultancy services
The Council of Europe Project “Promoting European standards in the audio-visual regulation in the Republic of Moldova”, implemented within the Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova 2017-2020, is launching the tender procedure for purchase of international consultancy services to support the...
Support to freedom of expression in Serbia: Grant agreement signed with Judicial Academy
The Grant agreement between joint EU/Council of Europe action “Freedom of expression and freedom of the media in Serbia (JUFREX)” and the Judicial Academy, Republic of Serbia (JA) has been signed. Through joint activities, from May 2020 to December 2021, judges and prosecutors will be provided...