External Action

Do

• Default to context-specific risk assessments before contact or publicity; protect sources and partners’ identities.

• Grant visibility exemptions liberally where branding could harm safety or credibility; decouple media-support from EU public diplomacy.

• Avoid public association that can endanger journalists (e.g., photo-ops, embassy events, sensitive meetings).

• Fund organisational security & psycho-social care; include rapid/emergency funds for relocations, legal help, digital incident response.

• Be flexible: permit objective revisions when the context shifts (e.g., LGBTQ+ coverage in hostile environments).

Don’t

• Don’t invite media partners into high-risk political spaces without protection plans; don’t “signal” partners in ways regimes can exploit.

• Don’t enforce “one-size-fits-all” EU comms or rigid workplans when inaction or inflexibility equals harm (recognise inaction as harm).

Best practice / How

• Delegations to keep a harm-log & waiver register (when visibility/data disclosure was waived and why).

• Establish secure feedback channels with local partners; schedule regular, coordinated donor exchanges so implementers don’t face conflicting asks.

Budget coordination costs and participation time of local partners in projects.