Monitoring Media pluralism in the EU: Highlights from the MPM 2026

The latest Media Pluralism Monitor (MPM) report was published on 29 June 2026. Co-funded by the European Union and developed since 2014 by the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom, this scientific project is designed to measure the state of media pluralism in Europe with a holistic approach, taking into account legal, political and economic variables. MPM findings are cited in the European Commission’s annual Rule of Law Report and have helped shape the discussion around the EMFA. 

The 2026 MPM edition takes place in an environment characterised by tensions between media organisations, platforms, and AI companies as well as debates on the sustainability of independent journalism.

The MPM's focus on four areas of media pluralism, i.e. Fundamental Protection, Market Plurality, Political Independence, Social inclusiveness, and 20 key indicators remains unchanged.

Key changes in the 2026 MPM edition: 

• The representation of the risk assessment now follows a six-tier system (from very low risk to very high risk) to provide a more nuanced explanation of the risks to media pluralism and freedom and highlight subtle differences between countries.
• The report includes insights on EMFA-related themes analysing its state of play.
• Chapter 6 provides an analysis of media pluralism and freedom in Albania, Montenegro, Serbia and North Macedonia to emphasise the specific challenges that they face. 

Focal point: independence and effectiveness of media NRAs 

The overall risk for this indicator remains low, yet significant variation persists among countries:

• 3 countries scored high risk (Greece, Hungary and Serbia)
• 8 countries scored a medium risk (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia)

The report also points at the increasing tasks assigned to media NRAs through new EU media policies (especially EMFA and DSA) which require more adequate budget, human and technical resources. However, financial and human resources of NRAs often appear inadequate, as in Austria or Spain. Also, a sufficient number of staff members should be guaranteed to fulfil increasing tasks, and this is not always the case, as in Croatia or Luxembourg.

Concerns about the political independence of NRAs are identified in Hungary, Greece and Slovakia. In Slovakia, the risk score rose notably following the appointment by the parliamentary majority of six new members to the nine-member Council. The report also refers to the dismissal of the Chief Executive of the Slovak CMS in early 2026. In Greece, the legality and procedural validity of appointments to the NCRTV are mentioned as problematic. In Serbia, the media regulator is reported as having been non-functional for more than a year.

The authors of the report encourage member states to develop more structured mechanisms of cooperation and exchange of best practices regarding media policies, within and outside EBMS, and to ensure that NRAs, including media authorities and Digital Services Coordinators, remain independent and are provided with sufficient funding and staffing.

General information:

Geographical scope: EU member states, Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia. 

Year covered: 2025

• Interactive data map  (per country, area, indicators and sub-indicators)
• Country reports
• MPM2026 General Report: Monitoring media pluralism in the European Union, Results of the MPM2026 Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom, June 2026, Tijana Blagojev, Konrad Bleyer-Simon, Elda Brogi, Roberta Carlini, Danielle Da Costa Leite Borges, Jan Kermer, Iva Nenadić, Marie Palmer, Pier Luigi Parcu, Urbano Reviglio, Matteo Trevisan, Sofia Verza

Source: CMPF