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The Eastern Partnership Media Conference in Riga agrees on support for media freedom and independence

BC, Riga, 21.05.2015.Print version
On 19-20 May 2015, Riga hosted the 1st Eastern Partnership (EaP) Media Conference, which is one of events taking place in the lead-up to the Fourth Eastern Partnership Summit. The conference brought together over 400 participants, informs LETA.

The media community represented at the event includes journalists, media professionals, experts, managers, policymakers, media advocacy groups, NGOs dealing with media issues, representatives from think tanks and agencies that regulate the media, as well as academics and politicians from both the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine – and the European Union (EU).

 

The Speaker of the Saeima, Inara Murniece, said in her opening statement that media freedom plays a decisive role in the preservation and advancement of the Eastern Partnership’s shared values, goals and ideals. Independent media ensure balanced and credible information, and if this is not the case, society can fall victim to misleading propaganda and false information. Lack of independent media undermines democratic values, good governance and political responsibility. The Speaker of the Saeima also emphasised that, in the current context, media freedom is facing new challenges; therefore, such a conference has even greater importance as a venue to talk over problems and seek the best solutions. The Speaker of the Saeima expressed hope that the Eastern Partnership Media Conference will become a tradition.

 

The conference, organised by the Latvian Presidency of the EU Council in cooperation with the European Commission, the European External Action Service and the Media Sub-Group of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum featured a discussion on challenges in the area of media freedom, good ways of fostering media integrity and improving the media environment in the region. The media conference analysed the media environment in the EaP countries, including the issues of legal, regulatory and political environment and the integrity of the media. The experts also discussed problems and risks related to the media’s susceptibility to outside influence, and the role of the media in ensuring free flow of unbiased information even under difficult conditions. A special focus was placed on pressure from propaganda that could be reduced by diversifying information sources. At the conclusion of the conference, the participants also considered further ways of responding to media challenges, assessed EU assistance in the EaP region and discussed possibilities for increasing EU contributions to improve the overall media environment in partner countries and media resilience.

 

In conclusion, the Foreign Ministry’s Undersecretary of State, Political Director Eduards Stiprais, emphasised that independent, free and objective media are an integral element in pursuing common goals of the Eastern Partnership. The EU and the EaP countries should work hand in hand not only to deal with problems and risks that could lead to the general public being subjected to disinformation as well as the conscious spread of misleading information but also consider how to apply EU financial support in order to facilitate the achievement of goals related to media freedom. Eduards Stiprais also pointed out possible steps that the EU could take already at this point: greater attention to the position of the media in the region, specialised training for journalists and the establishment of a unified network of journalists. It is important to ensure the transfer of experience and best practices, and to provide support for professional organisations of journalists. However, one of the most important steps would also be to promote dialogue between the media and government authorities in all countries across the region.

 

Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, also delivered a speech at the conference. The Commissioner emphasised the significant role of the media in a democratic society and reiterated continued support for media freedom and human rights in the region. Commissioner Hahn highlighted the main challenges to media freedom – the shortage of funding, limited access to objective, independent and quality information, as well as an unprecedented spread of disinformation. Johannes Hahn reiterated the necessity for closer cooperation with partner countries and higher quality support by the EU for the media in the EaP region.

 

The Commissioner recalled that the governments have a primary responsibility for creating a favourable environment for the activities of independent media in which sharing of different opinions is not under threat and there is access to objective information. The conference has demonstrated the role of the media in raising awareness among the general public as to benefits from closer cooperation between the EU and the EaP countries. Commissioner Hahn also stressed that countries with a free media are democratic and stronger countries.

 

Among the special guests of the conference were Nils Muiznieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dr. Vaira Vike-Freiberga, former President of Latvia and President of the Club de Madrid; Dace Melbarde, Latvian Minister for Culture; Dunja Mijatovic, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media; and Christian Danielsson, Director-General of European Commission Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR).






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