About the Project
Welcome to EastFlank.eu This media website has been launched as part of the project “Eastern Flank EU Reporting”, bringing together independent newsrooms from Central and Eastern Europe to improve coverage of European Union affairs. The project started on 1 December and is led by EURACTIV Poland.
The initiative is carried out by a network of nine media outlets from nine countries: EURACTIV Poland, EURACTIV Czechia, EURACTIV Slovakia, EURACTIV Romania, Delfi Latvia, Delfi Lithuania, Napunk (Hungary & Slovakia), Faktabaari (Finland), and Pro News BG (Bulgaria). Together, the partners work across borders, share knowledge, and follow common editorial standards.
The project was created in response to growing pressure on independent media, the spread of disinformation, and the increasing division of public debate in the region. Its goal is to support media freedom and strengthen access to reliable information on the EU’s – and NATO’s – Eastern Flank through cooperation and multilingual reporting.
EastFlank.eu provides access to analyses, fact-checking articles, jointly written reports by journalists from nine newsrooms, and podcasts.
The project is implemented under the 2025 Work Programme for the financing of Multimedia Actions, within the framework of the Multimedia Action “Pan-European Reporting – Topic 3”, managed by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology
(DG CONNECT).
“The Eastern Flank needs a strong, independent information space on the European Union to defend its citizens from malinformation. This project creates a framework that allows media from the region to work together and provide citizens with trustworthy information in their own languages.”
Karolina Zbytniewska, Editor-in-Chief, EURACTIV Poland
“This project provides readers across the European Union with reliable information about the situation in the countries of the Eastern Flank through content produced by journalists on the ground, available in national languages as well as in English on the EastFlank.eu website — which is what makes it truly unique.”
Olga Jurkowska, Coordinator of the Project, EURACTIV Poland
“As Europe faces war, geopolitical pressure, and challenges to the international order, independent EU reporting is more critical than ever. This project allows us to join forces with colleagues across borders to provide high-quality coverage of developments on Europe’s eastern flank, a region of critical importance to the continent’s security and future.”
Aneta Zachová, Editor-in-Chief, EURACTIV Czechia
“EastFlank.eu innovatively combines AI tools with human expertise to expose hybrid threats in real time. This is a model for the future of Eastern European journalism, accelerating fact-checking and safeguarding democratic processes.”
Stanimir Vaglenov, Online Projects Manager, ’24 Chasa’, Bulgaria
“For the Hungarian minority in Slovakia, access to fact-based, verified information about the EU’s Eastern Flank is especially important at a time when disinformation and misinformation increasingly distort public debate. Through the EastFlank project, we can provide our readers with reliable reporting in their own language, while working with trusted partners across borders to strengthen informed public discourse”
Zoltan Szalay, Chief editor – Napunk, Slovak Hungarian news portal
“EU countries must step up their cooperation to combat disinformation, military threats, unfair competition, and climate change. Journalism can help us to create a shared fact-based understanding of the situation and the actions that need to be taken.”
Joonas Pörsti, Editor-in-Chief, Faktabaari, Finland
“The cooperation and focus we have gained and rediscovered give us the opportunity to concentrate more on our region in a broader sense and to identify as a united force. It is encouraging to know that it is not just Latvia – or perhaps the Baltics – that are “on the border,” but rather that there are a number of countries that similarly understand, face, and think about solutions to our shared challenges.”
Andris Kārkluvalks, Editor, Delfi, Latvia
“The Eastern flank of the EU is currently exposed to significant pressure from disinformation originating from both domestic and foreign sources. The aim of the project is to build a reliable, independent, and above all accessible information space on common European issues, while at the same time reflecting national contexts.”
Zuzana Gabrižová, Editor-in-Chief, EURACTIV Slovensko
“At a time of growing pressure on independent media and deepening polarization, EastFlank.eu creates a shared space for journalists to collaborate across borders, uphold common editorial standards, and deliver trustworthy information about the EU and NATO to our readers across the region.”
Cătălina Mihai, Editor-in-Chief, EURACTIV România
“We live in times when objective media are under increasing pressure. Independent journalists and editors are being targeted by politicians, forces spreading disinformation, and hostile states seeking to polarize society. EastFlank.eu creates a platform for journalists to collaborate and ensure that only objective, accurate information reaches the most sensitive audiences in EU and NATO countries.”
Justina Maciūnaitė, Editor of international projects, Delfi Lithuania