International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists

In December 2013, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2 November as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. The date was chosen in commemoration of the assassination in Mali of Claude Verlon and Ghislaine Dupont, two French journalists, on 2 November 2013. The EU is actively engaged in protecting the independence and safety of journalists, as a crucial component in the proper democratic functioning of its institutions and Member States.

Nevertheless, in recent years an increasing number of attacks and threats against journalists have been documented and reported in Europe too. The Council of Europe Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists reports that, in 2021 alone, six journalists were killed in Europe, two of them in EU Member States (Greece and the Netherlands).