Latvia, Legislation, Markets and Companies

“These blank pages are not speaking of any readiness or discussion,“ said Ansip. “You muzzle yourself with your blank pages. The law does not muzzle anyone,” said Ansip.

Ansip said that the new bill of protecting sources that the justice ministry has compiled is absolutely European and for the first time offers journalists protection. “Currently there is no protection of sources in Estonia. A judge can question a journalist in any case and the journalist has no legal right to refuse making a statement,” said Ansip.

Ansip said that Estonia’s press is one of the freest in the world but that hasn’t been accompanied by trustworthiness of printed press.

Interior Minister Marko Pomerants said that Estonian newspapers overestimate themselves. “When we read papers, then cases about which they are worried in the context of investigative journalism, are not published almost at all or are published very seldom,” he said.

Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi said recommended newspapers to analyse the issue properly. “This is not about freedom of speech but about whether the court can get information from the press with difficult crimes or not. This dispute is on a very specific topic,” he said.