Russia's war in Ukraine has sparked a renewed sense of urgency to expand Western institutions such as NATO and the European Union. Just as Sweden and Finland reversed decades of neutrality to join the US-led military alliance, countries on the EU's eastern frontier are pressing their case to join the bloc.
After years of foot-dragging, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina may be not only desirable additions to the EU, but a security necessity in the face of Russian hostility. Ukraine and Moldova have just begun formal negotiations, making this the bloc’s fastest accession talks in recent history.
Fresh energy to grow the EU should come as welcome news to the states that have been waiting. However, the EU cannot get swept up in enlargement euphoria to the point that it undermines the values and integrity of the bloc itself. The EU has rightly halted membership talks with Georgia in response to its passing of a Russian-style foreign agents law targeting media outlets and NGOs. Unfortunately, the same tough standard is not being applied equally everywhere.
It should and must. Media freedom is a central democratic value for the EU, but that is not the case in the candidate countries.
Moldova has seen an increase in incidents of harassment and violence against journalists. The country’s Commission for Exceptional Situations, the office responsible for challenges to regional and national security, banned multiple TV stations and news websites in 2022 and 2023. They justified such censorship as necessary for preventing provocation amid tensions with Russia. In response, NGOs including the Centre for Independent Journalism, RISE Moldova and the Access-Info Centre have expressed concerns due to the lack of transparency regarding these decisions.
Ukraine has seen similar developments. A military representative acts as the director of the national news agency and military-related interviews feature prominently. The result has been a tightening grip of the media, and journalists covering public corruption have faced threats. Real-time war reporting and independent journalism are under pressure, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF). While the government can get away with these measures as part of war-time efforts to defend the country, it will be important to understand whether President Volodymyr Zelenskyy intends to return to a sense of democratic normalcy should the war conclude.
Across the Balkans, the situation is even more alarming. All six Western Balkan countries suffer from sinking media freedom, according to RSF. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, for example, the International Press Institute (IPI) reported that a series of new legislation aims to strengthen defamation laws and prohibit independent media outlets from registering as NGOs. This is a clear attack on the rule of law and has no place in the EU.
Serbia is also a growing concern. Once a promising EU candidate, the country has become Putin’s “little Russia,” becoming a hub for pro-Kremlin propaganda for the region. Our research shows how two of Serbia’s most popular TV stations—TV Happy and TV Pink—have been pumping out lies and misleading information about the war against Ukraine. This includes Russian President Vladimir Putin’s revisionist claim that “Russia was forced” into conducting a “special military operation.”
These types of narratives are enabled by increasing state control of the media and ongoing attacks on independent press by state officials. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić’s administration has been accused of using state funds to buy up independent media and push out competitors through its state-owned company, Telekon Srbija. The result is increasing state control that has contributed to the spread of anti-Western and anti-EU misinformation.
As enlargement talks begin, the next European Commission should ensure that the threats facing media freedom in these countries are effectively addressed. EU membership alone is not enough to resolve these issues, as the EU itself has seen a rollback of fundamental rights, foremost in Hungary under Prime Minister Victor Orbán.
The good news is that the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), landmark legislation aimed at safeguarding media independence and curbing external influence, can serve as a media standards rulebook by which candidate countries must abide. The Commission should extend the EMFA’s reach to accession talks, signalling its expectation that media freedom is a prerequisite for EU membership. A guarantee of media freedom must be a condition for EU funds or other support.
If the EU is serious about its own values, it can slowly sideline those with autocratic tendencies in candidate countries. Doing so will ensure the preservation of those values for itself as well as stability and security on its periphery. It must be clear to every candidate country that endangering media freedom jeopardizes prospects of joining the bloc any time soon.