PM Frieden Announces Planned Enshrined Right to Access to Information for Journalists

On Friday 12 January 2024, members of the Luxembourg press came together at the National Museum of Archaeology, History and Art (MNAHA) in Luxembourg-Ville for a New Year's reception hosted by Prime Minister Luc Frieden.

During this reception, the Prime Minister announced plans to present a bill for a legally enshrined right of access to information for journalists to the Government Council (Cabinet) "before summer" this year.

Before the Prime Minister's speech, Luxembourg Press Council President Roger Infalt welcomed those present and reflected on the past year for journalists in Luxembourg and further afield. He highlighted the "shocking" figures released by Reporters Without Borders, which showed that 45 journalists around the world had been killed in connection with their work in 2023. An additional 500+ journalists kicked off 2024 in prison.

Roger Infalt noted how Luxembourg - previously among the Top 10 - had ranked 20th out of 180 countries in the 2023 World Press Freedom Index; he indicated room for improvement. He emphasised the continued importance of critical, quality and serious journalism in 2024, not least in the era of fake news. He reflected on changes to the press aid over the years and noted that a new working group had been set up within the Press Council to revise the Code of Deontology, looking at new forms of journalism (e.g. "service journalism").

The number of journalists in Luxembourg remained stable in 2023 - there were 442 active journalists, including 67 trainees. About 100 aspiring journalists attended the Press Council's classes to obtain a press card in the past two years. Mr Infalt, who will step down from his role as president this spring, also announced that the Press Council will move from its current address on Rue du Marché-aux-Herbes to a larger premises (where it can also hold its classes) on Avenue de la Gare next month. He wished everyone present a happy new year, full of good health and success.

Prime Minister Luc Frieden, accompanied by Elisabeth Margue, Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister for Media and Connectivity, also wished everyone a happy new year. He spoke about his life-long interest in the media industry and emphasised the importance of freedom of speech and of opinion in a democracy. He also mentioned his desire to reorganise and strengthen exchanges between government ministries and journalists in Luxembourg, for example through less formal "fireside chats" on specific topics, in addition to the more traditional press conferences.

Following on from Roger Infalt's earlier comments on the years-long, ongoing fight for guaranteed access to information for journalists, the Prime Minister confirmed that a new bill aimed at enshrining a right of access to information for professional journalists would be presented before summer 2024. This bill is likely to be based on the German or Swiss models and the details concerning how it would work in practice will be discussed. Both Prime Minister Frieden and Roger Infalt also touched on plans to legally clarify the definition of a professional journalist by summer.

Prime Minister Frieden recognised that not everything would be perfect but the goal was to make the situation as good as possible and make tangible progress over the next five years.

After the speeches (in Luxembourgish), the reception continued with networking over finger food and drinks.