In a number of EU Member States freedom of expression is under threat. Reporters Without Borders’ Press Freedom Index shows that several EU countries ranked unacceptably low in terms of press freedom and freedom of expression. In this briefing, the Minister for EU and Democracy Birgitta Ohlsson explains the domestic threats against the values and principles that many European countries have long valued highly. She discusses restrictions on both freedom of expression and the threats to other democratic rights. According to the Minister, the EU now has a lot to prove.
Birgitta Ohlsson is the Minister for the EU and Democracy. The basis for this briefing was the Stockholm Free World Forum’s first Politkovskaja lecture. These lectures consist of a series of seminars on freedom of expression where Birgitta Ohlsson was the opening speaker.