At the Luxembourg Press Council’s New Year’s reception, President Roger Infalt declared that global press freedom has reached a historic low and warned that pressure on the media is rising domestically, with journalists increasingly at risk of self-censorship.
The event was hosted by Prime Minister Luc Frieden and Minister Delegate for Media and Connectivity, Elisabeth Margue.
Infalt specifically cited the “N. Affair” as a source of long-term difficulty for the press due to the far-reaching repercussions of a recent court verdict. In response, the Press Council has established a task force to evaluate how to manage the situation.
The case refers to a November 2025 ruling by the Court of Cassation that prohibits RTL from naming the former president of the FSFL postal workers’ union. Neither Frieden nor Margue directly addressed the affair in their speeches.
Prime Minister Frieden did, however, reiterate that a “free, strong, and independent press is an essential part of democratic debate.” For her part, Minister Margue outlined a new legislative bill designed to better protect journalists from abusive lawsuits, noting that Luxembourg’s proposed measures go beyond the requirements of the relevant EU directive.
