Although many of the EU-hopefuls in the Western Balkans had made significant progress in terms of human rights and democratic reform since the 1990s, it seems that fundamental rights are under threat yet again. The state of media freedom especially is looking very bleak: journalists who are critical of the authorities are marginalised, threatened and even attacked, media outlets who refuse to bring government-endorsed news are shut down, media legislation is drafted and implemented without any transparency… the list goes on. There is rising alarm that these daily abuses of power by governments in the region are not properly addressed, not only in the Balkans but also in Brussels, where geopolitical considerations seem to override concerns over curtailed media freedom. At this Policy Dialogue, a distinguished panel of journalists from the Balkans, Commission officials and MEPs examined why media freedom in the Balkans remains so contentious, and what the EU could do to help.