The Board of the European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA) wants to place on record its strong reaction
against the repressive new Polish media legislation and reports on the Polish government?€™s plans to change news
agency PAP?€™s legal status and thereby limiting the agency?€™s independence. Freedom of expression and
independent media are two basic requirements for sustainable democracies and it is the duty of all democratic
forces to defend these principles.
A crucial precondition for an independent news agency is a transparent legal framework. Such a framework
should ensure the independence of the news agency but also the independence of the individual journalists
involved.
The European Alliance of News Agencies comprises news agencies in 32 European countries and serves as a
forum for cooperation and information for the news agency business. News agencies working in accordance
with the principles of press freedom and unbiased news are of major importance to the democratic society. To
secure an economic and legal environment for news agencies operating in accordance with these rules is
therefore one of EANA??s main concerns.
The rapid development of information technology opens up more and more platforms where there is a direct or
indirect need for reliable news coverage. This is the background to the EANA board urging the Polish
government to take these aspects into consideration and to ensure that PAP also in the future will have an
independent role as a provider of unbiased and trustworthy news services for media in Poland and abroad.
For the Board of the European Alliance of News Agencies,
