DG ENEST – Enlargement and Neighbourhood East & South Team (DG NEAR Successor)

Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood - European Commission

Why it matters

DG ENEST carries forward the EU’s mission of supporting democracy and stability in its immediate neighbourhood. Media freedom and information integrity are central to enlargement and partnership processes: they influence public trust, transparency of reforms, and alignment with EU values.

As DG NEAR transitions into ENEST from 2026, the opportunity arises to embed media support as a strategic conditionality—a measurable indicator of democratic convergence. In regions where disinformation, media capture, and foreign interference undermine trust, ENEST’s programmes are instrumental to Europe’s security and reputation.

Opportunities and Challenges ⚖️

Opportunities:

• Policy leverage: Enlargement and neighbourhood negotiations give ENEST leverage to promote media-freedom clauses, anti-SLAPP laws, and transparent media-ownership standards.

• Cross-regional coordination: With teams covering both East and South, ENEST can harmonise support models and avoid duplicating regional instruments.

• Joint programming with Delegations: Strengthening Delegations’ analytical capacity through shared media-landscape studies ensures that reforms reflect real conditions.

• Audience research: Integrating audience data into policy dialogue can make EU communication more credible and less technocratic.

“When access to trusted information improves, accession reforms gain legitimacy.” — EU official, Western Balkans

Challenges:

The political nature of enlargement and neighbourhood funding means ENEST operates in highly sensitive environments where media freedom is often politicised. Calls for proposals can be perceived as political interference, and complex grant procedures deter smaller outlets.

Visibility pressure is another recurring issue: showcasing EU reforms sometimes conflicts with protecting independent voices from being framed as “EU mouthpieces.”

“In some capitals, even being seen with EU officials can compromise a journalist’s safety.” — Regional media partner

Institutionally, ENEST inherits multiple instruments—IPA III, NDICI-Global Europe, and legacy frameworks—each with separate rules. Without stronger inter-service coordination, fragmentation could continue to limit strategic coherence.

🧩 Recommendations

1. Integrate media-freedom benchmarks into enlargement and association dialogues, making them part of political-reform scorecards.

2. Simplify access to grants for local media and first-time applicants; pilot micro-grant and mentoring tracks.

3. Align communication and safety: issue clear guidance on when visibility should be waived for independent partners.

4. Build cross-regional taskforces with INTPA and EEAS to coordinate calls and share monitoring data.

5. Document impact systematically—track not only content produced but reforms and institutional improvements achieved.

Field voices

“Sometimes donors insist on politically palatable themes, but not what matters to audiences.” — Media editor, Caucasus region

“We ask for equipment and technical support, but they give us training instead.” — GFMD respondent, Eastern Partnership country

“Local partners should feel empowered to define and influence the support they receive.” — IMS study participant