Participating on 18 April 2011 in an international conference in Moscow, the new OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Ms Dunja Mijatović of Bosnia and Herzegovina, voiced concerns about the mounting, intimidating pressure exerted against journalists in certain European countries.

The OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) sprang from the Helsinki Accords. It comprises 56 participating States from North America, Western Europe and countries from the former Soviet Union.

According to Ms Mijatović, there are three countries that ought to be closely monitored: Hugary, in view of a new media law promoted by Prime Minister Viktor Orban; Italy, because of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s private ownership of key media outlets; and France, considering the encroachment on the media by President Nicolas Sarkozy and friends.