Romania: FAIR-MediaSind calls for infringement procedure against Romania due to EMFA violations

On 30 March 2026, the Federation of Culture and Mass-Media FAIR-MediaSind notified the European Commission and European Parliament of repeated violations of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) by the Romanian government. The International and the European Federation of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) fully support their affiliate's request to initiate dialogue with Romanian authorities and assess the country's compliance with the Regulation.

This photograph shows European flags fluttering outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels on 18 March 2026. Credit: Nicolas Tucat

Although the EMFA entered into force on 8 August 2025 and is directly applicable in all Member States, the government led by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan has failed to implement key provisions of the regulation establishing a common framework for media services in the internal market. These include safeguards for editorial independence, the protection of journalists and their sources, and the financial sustainability of public service media. Namely, the Romanian Television Society (TVR), the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Company (SRR), and the National News Agency AGERPRES.

Public media in Romania has since remained both chronically underfunded and exposed to political influence. TVR's Board of Administration includes the State Counsellor to the Prime Minister, while the Board of SSR includes the Prime Minister's official spokesperson. These overlapping roles generate significant conflicts of interest that risk undermining the editorial independence of the leadership of both institutions.

TVR President and CEO Adriana Ana Săftoiu, appointed by the Prime Minister in November 2025, has publicly challenged employee's salary rights and pushed for the closure of TVR's cultural channel Folclorl.

At the same time, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan announced that TVR must lay off 10% of its workforce in 2026, despite Romania ranking last in Europe in terms of funding for public media institutions. These developments raise serious concerns regarding institutional independence and weaken the broadcaster's ability to fulfil its public service mission, appearing incompatible with Articles 4 and 5 of the EMFA.

The reported situation affects not only professionals in the sector, but also the public's right to receive accurate, independent and pluralistic information, warned FAIR-MediaSind, which urged European authorities to:

• urgently assess Romania's compliance with Regulation (EU) 2024/1083,
• initiate the necessary institutional dialogue with the Romanian authorities, and,
• where appropriate, trigger the infringement procedure pursuant to Article 258 TFEU.

The IFJ and the EFJ join their affiliate, FAIR-MediaSind, in urging the Romanian Government and Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan to comply with the EFMA, in order to ensure predictable funding and cease pressure on workers in both public and private media.