Reporters Without Borders: Kosovo marks progress in media freedom, but journalists continue to be subject to political attacks

Kosovo's “except for, which marked progress despite remaining one of the lowest ranking states in Europe, press freedom in the Western Balkans in general is worsening”, Reporters Without Borders said.

Last year, Kosovo marked the biggest regregation in the organisation's media freedom index Reporters Without Borders, ranking 99th in the world from 180 states, the largest decline in 15 years in the organisation's annual press freedom index without Borders.

What about media freedom in Kosovo?

Unrealistic media regulator, Independent Commission for Media [ The KPM was subject to a legislative reform, which was declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court”, was said in the Kosovo part of Reporters Without Borders' report.

In April 2025, Kosovo's Constitutional Court abolished the Law for KPM, arguing that some articles were not in accordance with the Constitution.

The pieces that were found to be incompatible concerned the election of KPM members, the dismissal of chairman and commission members, KPM competencies, property regulation and several provisions dealing with sanctions and fines.

Reporters without Borders point out that Kosovo's judicial system has begun dealing with “as priority” cases involving journalists.

However, more and more journalists have been subject to SLAPP [Strategic code against public participation] initiated by business groups and politicians”, the report said, adding that access to public information has been hampered by poor law enforcement.

According to Reporters Without Borders' 2026 report, even though the media managed to hold politicians accountable, journalists “continue to be subject to political attacks”.

It says that although journalists enjoy trust from society, independent media and investigative journalists “they are the target of false insults and news on social networks”.

They are unjustly accused of co-operating with the enemy, rhetoric used by political and religious groups”.

In recent years, many journalists have been subject to threats and physical attacks by criminal networks, but also due to tensions between Pristina and Belgrade. Some journalists have also been the target of surveillance. Several recent attacks on journalists have resulted in sentences”.

The report also cites the government's boycott led by Albin Kurti before the February 2025 elections, when several private media were at the expense of the government's boycott, which also threatened public broadcaster RTK”'s independence.

Serbian-language <x0Medias, which are under pressure from Serbian political forces, have complained of discrimination in public information, separately in their language, which is constitutional right to minorities”, the organisation said.

Meanwhile, in the part of media funding, it is said that the media in Kosovo are largely financed by advertising revenues from the private sector, and also sometimes supported by local authorities or political parties.

In addition, through their owners, private media editorials are exposed by interference by powerful political or business groups. Serbian-language media face an additional challenge -- that of the small market in which media organisations depend on financing from neighbouring Serbia, while independent media could not survive without international financing”.

Following the report's publication, the legal adviser at the European Centre for Press Freedom and Media, Butterfly Kusari, estimated that the progress noted “is worth 100 percent of the judiciary system”.

In this regard, she cited the abolition of the KPM Law, which according to her confirmation that the <x0-perperperitment of the Government to draft and adopt laws without involvement in the media sector, without quick consultation and haste, in accelerated procedures shortly before the new year, ignoring the legal opinion of the Council of Europe and the European Union has been dangerous and has greatly damaged our country on the global scale”.

Kusari said he hopes the Vetevendosje “movement reflects” and whenever the law is drafted again to improve mistakes in the law, which according to her, “have destroyed our country's reputation at a global level”.

She also said that this report confirms that the judicial system in Kosovo is “the greatest guarantor of freedom of expression and media freedom in the past five years”.

What is the state of media freedom in the Western Balkans?

Despite significant progress, from the countries of the Western Balkans, Kosovo does not stand well on press freedom.

Montenegro ranks 41st (from 37 last year) in the World Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index.

Northern Macedonia was ranked 45th this year (marked as it was in 42nd place last year), Albania is itself a position higher than Kosovo, that is, 83rd place (Last year was 80th), Bosnia and Herzegovina in 90th (last year was in 86th place), and Serbia was worst, ranking 104th (last year was 96th).

“Although Albania [has scored three positions], Bosnia and Herzegovina [minutes four positions] and Serbia [falling for eight countries] aspire to become part of the European Union, all three states are hostile to journalism and vulnerable to propaganda”, the Reporters Without Borders report says.

According to the report, the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region continues to be in the pre-end position in this year's index, while the EU and Balkan area is in the first place despite the decline of conditions in journalism.

According to Reporters Without Borders, this region increasingly resembles a broad experiment where values are reversed and legislation is used to serve those in power at the expense of the right to information.

In the organisation's index, Norway is first in the press freedom, while Eritrea is 180th place. / REL