✅ Consolidated Checklist
For Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Development Agencies, Embassies & Cultural Institutes
Purpose: Ensure that EU Member States’ bilateral actions strengthen independent media and information integrity, while aligning with EU instruments, the OECD Principles, and Team Europe Democracy (TED).
💡 Why it matters The credibility and effectiveness of EU media-support efforts depend on Member States acting as coherent partners within the wider Team Europe framework. By coordinating, pooling funds, and respecting the safety and independence of partners, EU Member States can transform fragmented efforts into systemic impact. Embassies and cultural institutes—often the EU’s closest contact points with local media—are uniquely placed to detect risks, reinforce solidarity, and amplify trustworthy information ecosystems.
When national and EU actions align, the impact multiplies: visibility improves, risks diminish, and media partners receive sustained rather than sporadic support.
🧭 How to use this checklist
When: Use at strategy design, country programming, grant making, and public diplomacy planning.
Who: MFA policy leads, development agencies, embassies and cultural institutes (Goethe-Institut, Institut Français, British Council, etc.).
🤝 Coordination & Coherence (with EU Delegations)
Do
Co-plan with EU Delegations: align funding pipelines, calendars, and priorities to avoid duplication and reduce burden on partners.
Use pooled mechanisms (trust funds, delegated cooperation) to co-finance media support with the EU and like-minded donors.
Adopt a single entry point for local media actors (shared FAQs, templates, and contacts across MS + EUD).
Join/establish Embassy Networks (e.g., MFC Embassy Networks) to share risk intel, coordinate statements, and synchronise rapid responses.
Don’t
Don’t set up stand-alone micro-schemes that compete with EU calls.
Don’t run parallel visibility/reporting demands for the same grantees.
Best practice / How
Local donor compacts/MoUs (Embassies + EUDs + partners) clarifying roles, burden-sharing, risk protocols, and who leads on what.
Keep a shared calendar of calls and a coordination log (who funds whom, with what conditions).
💶 Co-funding & Pooled Mechanisms
Do
Channel bilateral resources via EU-led pooled funds to scale, simplify, and stabilise support.
Blend core support + emergency windows + small grants; ensure safety, legal defence, and psycho-social care are eligible costs.
Budget for coordination time & overheads of local organisations—participation costs are real.
Don’t
Don’t fund equipment-only or short-term outputs without organisational viability and follow-on support.
Best practice / How
Use staged disbursements/bridges to prevent cash-flow crises.
Apply proportional compliance (lighter audits for smaller grants/first-time grantees).
🛡️ Do No Harm & Safe Visibility
Do
Run a context/risk assessment before any public diplomacy or branding.
Enable visibility waivers where attribution endangers partners or undermines independence.
Use secure comms and data minimisation in applications, reporting, and events.
Don’t
Don’t use grantees as public-diplomacy flagships in sensitive contexts.
Don’t impose editorial agendas, branding, or comms deliverables that compromise credibility.
Don’t rely on one-off events that create temporary visibility but no durable benefit.
Best practice / How
Keep a simple harm/waiver register (why visibility was reduced/waived).
Offer off-the-record briefings and anonymised case studies instead of photos/logos.
🧩 Whole-of-System & Local Leadership
Do
Support ecosystem needs (safety networks, legal aid, shared tech, business support, audience research), not just content.
Work through local leadership: fund and let local actors lead consortia, where safe and feasible.
Back regional/community/minority-language media and women-/youth-led outlets.
Don’t
Don’t over-centralise in capitals or with a handful of international implementers.
Don’t set topics/formats from capitals without local demand-checks.
Best practice / How
Add a localisation criterion to tenders (capacity transfer, succession to direct-grantee status).
Finance peer-to-peer exchanges and mentorships led by regional actors.
🏛️ Embassies & Cultural Institutes — Role Maximiser
Do
Coordinate closely with EU Delegations; reinforce EU-level programmes rather than competing.
Use cultural institutes to channel complementary funds into pooled mechanisms.
Facilitate safe convening spaces for media, CSOs, academics, tech, and donors.
Support capacity-building (compliance, financial management, organisational resilience).
Promote peer exchanges (editor-to-editor, residencies, joint investigations, media-literacy co-labs).
Plan for security (gendered risks, digital hygiene) in every event and grant.
Don’t
Don’t commission glossy reports or public showcases that add risk or little practical value.
Best practice / How
Neutral convening via institutes (closed-door dialogues, Chatham House rules).
Learning notes after each grant/programme cycle; share with EUDs and peers.
Invest in regional/thematic partnerships (safety hotlines, unions, training hubs).
Respect dual accountability of media—to audiences/staff and funders—by protecting editorial independence in all instruments.
📚 Monitoring, Evidence & Learning
Do
Track ecosystem indicators (pluralism, ownership, safety incidents, trust, platform dependency).
Commission local research bodies where in-house capacity is limited.
Feed field learning to capitals and the EU (Principle 6).
Don’t
Don’t reduce MEL to output counts or visibility metrics; capture why/how outcomes happened.
Best practice / How
Use light-touch adaptive tools (outcome harvesting, contribution tracing).
Align MEL frameworks across MS + EUD to cut duplication.
🎯 Quick-reference “Do/Don’t/How” (Embassies & Cultural Institutes)
Do
Pool & co-fund with EU Delegations
Budget overheads & coordination for locals
Visibility waivers where risky
Safe convenings + peer exchanges
Capacity-building (compliance, finance, safety)
Join MFC Embassy Networks; consider MFC membership if not yet engaged
Don’t
Showcase grantees as flagships in sensitive contexts
Duplicate EU calls or reporting
Impose branding or editorial cues
One-off events with no institutional follow-up
Best practice / How
Donor compacts / MoUs, shared calendars
Trust funds/pooled windows for small grants
Learning notes each cycle; publish anonymised insights
Local leadership clauses in calls; proportional compliance
🧩 Embedding with National Systems (MFAs & Dev Agencies)
Policy pillar for Media & Information Integrity in foreign policy; link to security, rule of law, hybrid threats.
Dedicated budget lines; nominate focal points; integrate safety & core-support eligibility.
Inter-departmental task force (MFA–Dev–Hybrid Threats–Trade) to mainstream Principles 1–6.
Join/expand MFC participation and embassy networks; use Paris Declaration commitments in dialogues.
📝 One-page Pre-launch Gate (internal)
Risk & visibility check ✅
Coordination with EUD & donors ✅
Local leadership & proportional compliance ✅
Safety budget lines (digital/legal/psycho-social/physical) ✅
MEL plan with ecosystem indicators & learning note ✅
🎙 Field Voices from Consultations
“Don’t signal partners in hostile environments. One EU diplomat in Central Asia described how publicising even small grant partnerships had led to intimidation of journalists by state-linked actors. ‘We learned to shift visibility from public-facing materials to closed briefings—our partners’ safety always comes first.’”
“Coordination is lacking—make someone responsible for it. A representative from a Nordic development agency explained that while embassies hold rich local knowledge, no unit is tasked to gather or share it systematically. ‘We’re losing insight every rotation. A simple coordination hub or mailing list could change that.’”
“Flexibility and long-term funding are crucial to avoid harm. A South-East European media-support implementer stressed that rapid changes in donor priorities create disruption. ‘Every new call means new reporting templates, new systems. The result is burnout. What we need is five-year funding cycles with predictable review points.’”
“Embassies can make the difference. A journalist working in a fragile media market noted: ‘Embassy staff are often the only diplomats who actually know our reality. When they listen and quietly coordinate with others, we feel safer to speak out.’”
Last updated
Was this helpful?