European Centre for Press & Media Freedom (ECPMF)

The European Centre for Press & Media Freedom (ECPMF) is a non-profit organization founded in 2015 in Leipzig, Germany. The organization operates on the basis of the European Charter for Press Freedom and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

The mission of the ECPMF is to promote, preserve, and defend press and media freedom across Europe. This is achieved through monitoring violations of press freedom, providing practical support for journalists, and engaging diverse stakeholders across Europe[3][5].

The ECPMF strives for a society where media freedom enables open discourse and everyone has the opportunity to seek, receive, and share information. This vision is based on the political consensus of democratic states, as outlined in the European Charter for Press Freedom[1][3].

• Monitoring of Press Freedom Violations: The ECPMF operates the platform mappingmediafreedom.org, where violations of media freedom in Europe are documented. This platform serves as an alarm system to guide the activities of the Centre[1][2].
• Practical Support: The ECPMF provides legal assistance and financial support to journalists, especially in cases where they are prosecuted on dubious grounds. An example of this is the support for the family of the murdered Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia[1][2].
• Public Relations and Communication: The Centre engages in extensive public relations to raise awareness of violations of press and media freedom and to promote solidarity within the media and journalism community[2][4].

The ECPMF works closely with various partner organizations to achieve its goals. These partners include the International Press Institute (IPI), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), and the Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT). These collaborations enable the ECPMF to coordinate and amplify its activities continent-wide[1][2].

The organization is supported by a variety of funding sources, including the European Commission, the Media Foundation of the Sparkasse Leipzig, the Saxon State Chancellery, the Federal Foreign Office, and the City of Leipzig. This financial support ensures the independence and sustainability of the ECPMF[2].

The ECPMF is organized as a European Cooperative (SCE) and consists of 39 members who belong to the General Assembly. This General Assembly elects the board members and appoints the managing director. Each member must adhere to the organization's code of conduct[2][4].

The founding of the ECPMF was supported by a cross-party alliance in the European Parliament, led by Martin Schulz, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, and Elmar Brok. Hans-Ulrich Jörges, initiator of the European Charter for Press Freedom, played a central role in the conception and establishment of the Centre[1][2].

The ECPMF is based in Leipzig, a city historically known for its role in the peaceful revolution of 1989 against the GDR dictatorship. This location symbolizes the Centre's commitment to press and media freedom in Europe.

• 1 - https://www.leipziger-medienstiftung.de/de/ezpfm/
• 2 - https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europ%C3%A4isches_Zentrum_f%C3%BCr_Presse-_und_Medienfreiheit
• 3 - https://www.ecpmf.eu/about/
• 4 - https://www.ecpmf.eu/about/governance/
• 5 - https://www.ecpmf.eu