The Council of Europe published a report on freedom of expression in Europe in 2018. The report highlights the major threats to freedom of expression around Europe and lists the main actions that governments should take in order to address them.

The report expresses concerns about the increase in violence and threats against journalists and highlighted cases where journalists have been assassinated during their investigations of corruption and organised crime. The report also mentioned the increase in verbal attacks and restrictive legislation which NGOs face in some Member States.

Five action steps were listed which require special attention by the Council of Europe and its Member States, namely, effectively protecting journalists from violence and intimidation, ensuring that counter-terrorism measures are not abused to unduly restrict media freedom, quality and investigative journalism and safeguarding public service media.

The report emphasises that oversight by the European Court of Human Rights remains crucial for ensuring that national laws and practices are consistent with the standards set out in the European Convention on Human Rights. 

 Full report is available here.