Highlights of EFJ Annual Meeting 2015, Budva

On 2 June, one hundred delegates and observers representing 49 journalist’s organisations in 35 countries attended the Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) hosted by the Trade Union Media of Montenegro (TUMM) in Budva, Montenegro.  The meeting was also attended by high-level speakers representing the European Commission, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, South East Europe Media Organisation and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. Tomislav Kezarovski, a Macedonian investigative journalist who was persecuted by the authorities, gave an inspirational speech to the audience and thanked the EFJ and its affiliates for their support during his struggle for freedom. 11 resolutions and 6 statements were adopted by the meeting calling for actions to defend, among many issues, the professional rights of journalists, media freedom and pluralism and safety of journalists. In particular, the meeting addressed the state of media freedom in the Balkans and expressed solidarity with colleagues in the regions. The delegates welcomed a new EFJ member, the Bosnia & Herzegovina Journalists’ Association (BHJA), bringing the total of the EFJ members to 61 journalists’ organisations representing over 320,000 journalists in 40 countries.