Speech by Maja Sever (EFJ President) on 2 June 2025.
Dear colleagues, dear friends,
Welcome to Budapest and to the Elective General Meeting of the European Federation of Journalists. First, my sincere thanks to our hosts, the Hungarian Press Union, the National Association of Hungarian Journalists, and the Hungarian Confederation of Trade Unions, for making this gathering possible at such a critical moment. Because this is not just another meeting. This is a message. Our sign that we stand with our colleagues in Hungary and with free journalism and democracy.
We are gathered in a country where independent journalism is under a direct and aggressive attack. The proposed “Foreign funding” bill in Hungary is not an isolated incident. It is a serious attempt to create a legal framework for shutting down independent media outlets, banning foreign funding, raiding newsrooms, registering and monitoring those who inform the public – all under the pretext of “protecting sovereignty.” But this is not about sovereignty. This is an attack on democracy.
Today I am speaking, not only as President of the EFJ, but on behalf of all of us – journalists, unions, organisations, and citizens who still believe that journalism is a public good.
Together with our partners in the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) mechanism, we have addressed our concerns to the European Commission. In a statement, signed by six leading media freedom organisations, we stated clearly: media freedom in Hungary is deteriorating at an alarming rate. Because this is not a “domestic issue.” If this law is passed here, tomorrow it could be in Slovenia, Poland, Italy – anywhere. That’s why we cannot look away. And that’s why we are here – because the fight for press freedom today is both European and urgent.
Across Europe, the situation for the media is deteriorating. Journalists face violence and threats with impunity. SLAPP lawsuits are used to intimidate. Technology is misused to control and manipulate. Working conditions are worsening. Commercial pressure is growing. Generative AI is exploiting our work without control or compensation. Newsrooms are under financial strain, and journalists are under constant pressure. Meanwhile, public trust in journalism continues to decline.
Journalism in Europe is under siege. That’s why the EFJ is more than a symbol. We are a mechanism for resistance. In the years ahead, we must ensure the enforcement of the EMFA and all other EU instruments protecting journalism and labour rights; stop the abuse of AI and digital platforms that profit from our work without transparency or payment; expand union protection to all, invest in safety, media literacy, and self-regulation – because truth needs both infrastructure and people to defend it.
The EFJ is present on the ground, in the institutions, in the newsrooms, in Brussels, and right here – in Budapest.
Our colleagues in the newsroom in Hungary and all around Europe are not asking for words of support. They need action. And they will have it. Let this assembly send a message: you are not alone.
We are here. And we will fight. For media freedom, and Europe, where journalism is not the enemy, but the foundation of Democracy.
Thank you.
Source: EFJ
