Work has begun in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on the implementation of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) into Ukrainian legislation.
A dedicated Working Group headed by Deputy Chair of the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy, Yevheniia Kravchuk, held a constitutive meeting.
The event was attended by over 50 participants, in particular representatives of ministries, law enforcement agencies and public organisations, who will work within 5 separate thematic subgroups:
- protection of journalists and their sources in judicial proceedings;
- ensuring appropriate safeguards for the functioning of public service media and media environment;
- transparency of state advertising and protection of competition in the media sector;
- implementation of regulatory provisions;
- providing clarity and proportionality of regulatory powers in the media sphere.
Yevheniia Kravchuk emphasises: implementation of the European Media Freedom Act is not a matter of selective adaptation of individual norms, but our direct obligation to fully harmonize national legislation with the EU acquis.
«Therefore, our unconditional priority is to develop a comprehensive legislative framework that fully complies with European standards in the media sector. Despite its status as a candidate country, Ukraine is demonstrating rapid progress in implementing the provisions of the Act, with a unique opportunity to set benchmarks even for current European Union member states,» said the Deputy Chair of the Committee.
According to her, in order to maintain the leadership in the field of media freedom protection on practice, it is necessary to focus on implementation of the following key mechanisms:
1. Ensuring editorial independence and protecting journalists.
Implementation of the Act requires the establishment of strict legal safeguards against interference in editorial policy by both the state apparatus and private owners. This includes an absolute ban on coercing media workers to disclose their sources of information, as well as a ban on the use of spyware against journalists. These norms are fundamental to ensuring safe and independent professional activity.
2. Ensuring transparency of media ownership and preventing excessive concentration.
To prevent hidden political or oligarchic influence on the media market, national legislation must unconditionally oblige media entities to disclose information about their direct owners and ultimate beneficiaries. This guarantees citizens' right to clearly understand whose interests are behind a particular resource, which directly correlates with the right to access objective information.
3. Transparent and non-discriminatory distribution of state advertising.
This is one of the most sensitive issues that requires clear legal regulation. Legislation should introduce public, objective, and proportionate criteria for the allocation of public funds for advertising or the procurement of information services. There should be a mandatory requirement for regular public reporting on the amount of public funds allocated to each service provider.
4. Protecting the right to accurate information and ensuring pluralism.
Compliance with EU standards is achieved by ensuring the financial and institutional independence of public broadcasting, in particular through the formation of independent supervisory and executive bodies, as well as by creating effective mechanisms for labeling artificially generated content and countering systemic disinformation without compromising freedom of expression.
“The deadline for adopting the draft laws is December 2026, but we have an ambitious goal to register a full package of legislative changes as early as this September,” Yevheniia Kravchuk concluded.