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Upholding European Standards on Freedom of Expression: Partners and Beneficiaries discuss progress

The Fourth Steering Committee Meeting of the action “Protecting Freedom of Expression and of the Media in North Macedonia (PRO-FREX)” was held in Skopje, bringing together key representatives from public institutions, civil society, and international partners, to review progress and define future priorities.

Implemented under the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”, the action continues to support North Macedonia in aligning its legal and institutional framework with European standards on freedom of expression, media freedom, and access to information. Participants used the meeting to reflect on three years of progress, emphasizing key improvements in strengthening institutional capacities to protect journalists and make the media environment safer. Concrete discussions focused on how the action helps journalists and media professionals strengthen freedom of expression in everyday practice. They underlined that the targeted support for actors in the field has led to better alignment with European standards and improved protections for journalists.

Key results presented during the meeting included:

  • Strengthened capacities of judges, prosecutors, and lawyers on freedom of expression, hate speech, and protection of journalists, exceeding planned targets;
  • Enhanced knowledge of media professionals on ethical reporting and handling SLAPP cases;
  • Improved institutional responses to access to information and data protection, including alignment with the Tromsø Convention;
  • Continued efforts to strengthen media regulation and address emerging challenges such as artificial intelligence in the media space.

Looking ahead to 2026, Steering Committee members reviewed and endorsed key priorities, including:

  • Further strengthening efforts to ensure the protection and safety of journalists;
  • Promoting inclusive and accessible media services;
  • Enhancing the overall media environment and regulatory practices;
  • Continuing capacity-building support for key stakeholders and institutions.

The meeting concluded with a reaffirmed commitment from all stakeholders to continue working collaboratively to ensure a resilient, transparent, and rights-based media environment in North Macedonia, in line with Council of Europe standards and the country’s European integration path.

Skopje, North Macedonia 1 April 2026
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The action ‘Protecting freedom of expression and of the media in North Macedonia’ (PRO-FREX) enables the beneficiary institutions and civil society organisations in North Macedonia to progress towards meeting their reform agendas in the field of freedom of expression and freedom of media, in line with the European standards.

The action is implemented within the joint programme of the European Union and Council of Europe Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye running from 2023 to 2026 and aims to contribute to an improved environment for the exercise, in particular by journalists and media actors, of their rights of freedom of expression, in a more pluralistic and safer media environment, in line with the standards as set by Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights.

What are the goals and objectives of the action?

  • to promote freedom of expression and freedom of the media and to improve the application of European standards in the field.
  • to enhance the protection of journalists and contribute to the creation of an enabling, safer and more pluralistic media environment.
  • to strengthen the skills and knowledge of the actors who are responsible for applying the standards on freedom of expression as part of their daily work.

Who benefits from the action?

  • independent state bodies in the field of media regulation (the Agency for Audio and Audio-visual Media Services) and access to information and protection of information (the Agency for Protection of the Right to Free Access to Public Information and the Personal Data Protection Agency).

  • associations of journalists and media actors in North Macedonia.

  • professionals such as judges, prosecutors, police officers, lawyers, broadcasters, journalists, other media actors.
  • the people of North Macedonia.

How does the action work?

  • by providing legal advice to improve the alignment of legal and regulatory frameworks to the relevant European standards;
  • by providing research and policy support to institutions and civil society organisations in the field;
  • by raising awareness among duty bearers and rights holders of the relevant European standards;
  • by offering capacity-building for the various professional categories, anchored in the European standards and the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR);
  • by facilitating regional dialogue and exchange of good practices, in synergy with the regional action.

What do we expect to achieve?

  • The legal framework will be improved and the judicial application of the European standards on freedom of expression, access to information, data protection and protection of journalists will be enhanced;
  • the Media Regulatory Authority, the Personal Data Protection Agency, the Agency for Protection of the Right to Free Access to Public Information, and the public broadcaster implement changes in their policies and practices in line with European standards;
  • Journalists’ safety will be strengthened in terms of addressing threats and attacks, as a result of the established domestic legal mechanisms to protect freedom of expression, in line with European standards.

What is the budget of the action?

  • The total budget of the action is 680,000 EUR
  • The budget allocated to the overall Horizontal Facility programme amounts to ca. 41 Million EUR (85% funded by the European Union, 15% by the Council of Europe).

How to get more information?

 

About Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye

The “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye 2023-2026” is a joint initiative of the European Union and the Council of Europe that enables the Western Balkans’ Beneficiaries and Türkiye to meet their reform agendas in the fields of human rights, rule of law, and democracy and to comply with the European standards, which is also a priority for the EU enlargement process.


 

PROJECT CONTACTS

Ana Funa                                     Project Assistant                        +389 2 3100 336                     contact