Commission-funded report by the International Press Institute (IPI) on the freedom and independence of the media in Bulgaria

Priority question for written answer  P-002723/2022
to the Commission
Rule 138
Ilhan Kyuchyuk (Renew), Atidzhe Alieva-Veli (Renew), Iskra Mihaylova (Renew)

In March 2022, the International Press Institute published its report[1] on Bulgaria. Although it was funded by the Commission and the Friedrich Naumann Freedom Foundation, it strikingly contains extremely disturbing statements which not only do not contribute to development of the media in Bulgaria, but also help create misconceptions on the part of the European institutions. It is a dangerous precedent that among the authors of the report there were members of a certain media group whose viewpoint constitutes a form of covert support for the dissemination of biased information, the shaping of public opinion and a setting of the agenda for society.

• 1.Does the Commission have a means of checking and monitoring the drafting of such analyses to ensure their reliability, impartiality and objectivity? How are the experts involved in drafting the report selected, and what assessment is made of the extent to which the information provided is reliable and objective?
• 2.Does the Commission feel that the report meets the basic requirement of fighting disinformation through the presentation of objective, verified facts and a plurality of opinions?
• 3.Does the drafting of this report, which is based on manipulative claims and insinuations made by just one of the media groups in Bulgaria, fulfil the objectives and requirements of this Commission project?

• [1] ^{https://ipi.media/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/IPI-Bulgaria-Media-Capture-Report-24-03-2022.pdf}