A Frankenstein bill supposedly designed to protect the media and journalists

By Giorgos Frangos The bill intended to implement the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) has been going back and forth between the interior ministry, the legal service and parliament for almost two years. This, despite the fact that the Republic of Cyprus was supposed to have incorporated it into national law by September 2025. Public consultation on the proposed legislation has been perfunctory and merely for show. Only two meetings were held on the matter: a broader meeting involving all stakeholders on April 15, 2025, and a more specialised meeting at the relevant ministry on May 9, 2025, attended by the Union of Cyprus Journalists, the Cyprus Media Complaints Commission and the Publishers Association. Email correspondence followed. However, very little of what the directly involved and affected organisations said or submitted in writing was taken into account. The original bill was presented in March 2025, followed by a revised version in February 2026. Since then, for eight months, it has been gathering dust in the drawers of parliament, the relevant ministry and the legal service. The primary objective of EMFA, as established by the European institutions, is to safeguard media pluralism and the independence of the media and journalists. Yet what we have before us is a Frankenstein bill that overturns, distorts and undermines this fundamental objective. Unfortunately, those of us directly involved were not listened to. As a result, we are faced with a legislative monstrosity which, instead of emphasising protection, places the emphasis on control and on exceptions to the very rule it supposedly seeks to promote. Worse still, it introduces additional administrative, repressive and even criminal provisions targeting the media and journalists, in blatant contradiction of both the spirit and the letter of EMFA. The proposed legislation clearly violates the principle of self-regulation of the journalistic profession. Are others, appointed by the state, going to make decisions about journalistic content instead of journalists themselves? Journalists, publishers and their representative organisations are the ones who decide on matters concerning their profession. No one else. This is how things work in every properly functioning democratic state governed by the rule of law. Under the proposed legislation, the Broadcasting and Digital Services Authority, as well as the Press and Information Office (PIO), would be granted new powers, including the ability to impose administrative fines, additional supervisory responsibilities and even criminal provisions. These new powers are neither appropriate nor proportionate to the roles of a broadcasting authority or the PIO. More importantly, they are not in keeping with the democratic spirit of our times or with the European Union as an institution. Regarding the lifting of journalistic confidentiality, we believe that Article 17 of the Constitution is more than sufficient to cover any circumstances in which the surveillance of a journalist or journalists may become necessary. It is inconceivable that separate legislation should be introduced specifically for one professional group. Who decided that journalists are more prone to committing crimes and therefore require special treatment? Equality before the law demands that we all be judged by the same standards. If this disgraceful bill is brought before the House of Representatives in its present form and passed into law, it will justifiably provoke widespread condemnation of Cyprus and its institutions across Europe. We are warning of the reactions that will follow, both at the level of the European Parliament and from the European and international federations of journalists. Finally, if the 1989 Press Law were not so outdated, anachronistic and ineffective, matters would be better when it comes to implementing EMFA. Unfortunately, the journalism profession lacks legal safeguards. Existing legislation governs only the operation of the print media, while there is no institutional provision whatsoever for journalists working in radio, television or online media. At the same time, a government department, the Press and Information Office, issues press cards under a ministerial decree. Meanwhile, the internationally recognised press card issued by the Union of Cyprus Journalists, the only trade union and professional association of Cypriot journalists and an active member of the international and European federations of journalists, is not only disregarded but actively opposed by its own state. Draw your own conclusions… Giorgos Frangos is president of the Union of Cyprus Journalists