On Wednesday, July 2, 2025, the Director of the National Institute of Justice, Ramona Strugariu, met with Giulia Melotti, UNESCO’s representative on matters related to freedom of expression and the safety of journalists.
During the meeting, a brief presentation was given on UNESCO’s Judges’ Initiative, launched in 2013. The program, implemented in cooperation with national judicial training institutions, offers training sessions on international and regional standards on freedom of expression and on measures needed to combat impunity in cases of attacks against media professionals. It also addresses the phenomenon of hate speech.
The discussion also touched upon the challenges faced by the national justice system, emphasizing the need to adopt national anti-SLAPP legislation in order to minimize the abusive use of legal proceedings aimed at intimidating the press. These practices, which have both financial and psychological effects on journalists, are already regulated by the EU Anti-SLAPP Directive. This highlights the importance of harmonizing national legislation with the European acquis as a priority for the country in the context of its EU accession.
Both parties underlined the importance of raising awareness about this issue and agreed on the need for joint specialized training programs for judges, prosecutors, and lawyers. They also discussed prospects for future cooperation in this regard. At the same time, beneficiaries of the National Institute of Justice are invited to contribute to a scientific study on the impact of legal threats on freedom of expression by completing an electronic questionnaire available at THIS LINK.
