Governments are gaining the power to monitor, control and punish anyone who dares to reveal the truths that bother them.
Europe is sinking into dark times as Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, imposes a law reminiscent of the most authoritarian regimes, stifling press freedom and paving the way for the silencing of journalists and media outlets, as Euronews reports.
Under the guise of “protecting the public interest”, the new European law on media freedom, which came into force in all member states, gives governments the right to arrest journalists, impose sanctions and control media outlets, threatening the very heart of democracy, as Reuters reports. In Greece, where press freedom is already being battered by the Mitsotakis government, this measure comes as a final blow, turning the EU into a nightmare of censorship and repression.
The new law, presented by von der Leyen as a “shield” for press freedom, hides a dark truth. Two articles in it allow the arrest of journalists and the imposition of sanctions on media outlets if they are deemed to serve the “public interest” – a term so vague that it can be interpreted as they wish.
From “terrorism” to “disinformation”, governments gain the power to monitor, control and punish anyone who dares to reveal disturbing truths. In Greece, where the wiretapping scandal exposed Maximos’ surveillance of journalists, and in countries like Hungary and Poland, where the Pegasus spyware has been used against the press, this law legitimizes repression, rather than limits it.
Von der Leyen, mired in scandals such as the secret deal for Pfizer vaccines and false claims that the EU is not dependent on Russian energy, appears to be using the law as a weapon to protect herself and her allies, such as Kyriakos Mitsotakis. In Greece, press freedom is under constant attack, with laws that sanction journalists on topics such as banks or the pandemic.
Von der Leyen claims that “a free press is a pillar of democracy,” but her actions tell a different story. The law requires cooperation between national authorities to “fight disinformation,” but in reality it allows governments to label any criticism as “fake news.”
Provisions on the use of spyware against journalists “as a last resort” for “national security” open the door to abuse of power. In Greece, where press freedom has fallen to the lowest levels in the EU along with Hungary and Poland, this measure threatens to wipe out any trace of independent journalism.
The EU, once hailed as a beacon of democracy, is turning into a bureaucratic monster that stifles free speech. Von der Leyen, instead of boosting the living standards of Europeans, is wasting billions on wars and “green” schemes, while silencing anyone who dares to criticize her.
Greece, with the Mitsotakis government drowning in scandals from wiretapping to Tempi, is becoming a test subject of this new order, where journalists risk imprisonment and the media are controlled by government puppets.
The duty of journalists is to inform and awaken the political consciousness of people. This awareness that power has always tried to obtain.. A journalist must denounce injustices, crimes, abuses with the aim of correcting or preventing them, he must take a position on the condition that his physical integrity is not at risk, he will go to prison or be found in a ditch.
The Europe of 2025 is no longer the place of freedom – it is a regime of fear, where truth is sacrificed on the altar of the “public interest” and citizens watch helplessly as democracy collapses.
