European Centre for Press and Media Freedom
The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) was founded in Leipzig by twenty representatives from journalism, publishing, and media law on the initiative of Media Foundation of Sparkasse Leipzig in June 2015. The original idea for such a Leipzig-based Centre was developed by Hans-Ulrich Jörges, initiator of the "European Charter for Press Freedom" and former member of the editorial board of Stern magazine. Together with him, Media Foundation took up this idea in 2010, developed it further, and implemented it over several years. The ECPMF was founded in 2015, thanks in part to significant cross-party support from the European Parliament, the Free State of Saxony, and the City of Leipzig.
In its early years, the Centre was developed and managed by the Media Foundation, which served as the Centre's project sponsor until 2017 and continues to contribute to the Centre's existence by being a member of the Executive Board of ECPMF. The initiative was politically supported in Brussels by a cross-party alliance in the European Parliament, including Martin Schulz, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, Elmar Brok, and Helga Trüpel. Leipzig was chosen as location of the Centre because the Peaceful Revolution that overthrew the East German regime began here in 1989. Since 2018, the ECPMF has operated independently under the legal form of a European Cooperative Society (SCE), that was proposed by the Media Foundation.
Since its founding, the ECPMF has monitored violations of press freedom throughout Europe, provided legal support, developed protection concepts for threatened media workers, and promoted professional exchange through workshops and studies. As part of the Hannah Arendt Initiative, the ECPMF advocates for the protection of threatened journalists in Ukraine and in exile. In recent years, the Centre has successfully established itself with its numerous projects, initiatives, and events and is recognized throughout Europe as an important partner for journalists, professional associations, media freedom organizations, as well as for academia and politics. Close ties exist between the ECPMF and Media Foundation - the Centre continues to be based at the Foundation's headquarters, the Media Campus Villa Ida in Leipzig.
Further information: www.ecpmf.eu