Bringing together citizens, journalists, and media professionals over three days, Voices unfolded against a backdrop of mounting pressures on journalists and NGOs combating disinformation in Serbia, as well as the controversial release on bail—due to judicial delays—of Yorgen Fenech, the key suspect in the assassination of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The staging of They Blew Her Up, a play about Caruana Galizia’s murder, was a stark and sadly timely reminder of the ongoing threats faced by journalists. The festival also drew attention to the conditions of journalists in Belarus, featuring exiled freelance journalist Aksana Brovach. She remarked that 40 journalists remain imprisoned in her country simply for “doing their job” and speaking out against propaganda.
These contexts shaped the discussions at Voices 2025. During the opening, Research Fellow at the Robert Schuman Centre, Iva Nenadić stressed that "by protecting journalism and media freedom, we are also protecting individual freedoms." Throughout the programme, debates addressed the growing challenges faced by independent journalism and European media, along with government efforts to safeguard them. Croatian Minister of Culture and Media, Nina Obuljen-Koržinek, acknowledged these difficulties, stating: "We are always lagging when it comes to media legislation, constantly trying to keep up with the changes, which presents an ongoing challenge for us (…) This is why it is important to build a framework that allows for self-regulation.”
Sessions also examined the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) and the EU’s Digital Services Act, particularly in light of Big Tech’s expanding influence and Elon Musk’s recent alliance with Donald Trump. Bestselling author Martin Andree (Big Tech Must Go!) questioned the legality of these monopolies, warning: "The free internet is dead; tech companies have managed to siphon all the traffic from the internet. This is not dystopian, nor is it paranoia—it’s mathematics. By the end of this decade, three-quarters of our attention will be captured by platforms. (...) We need to step up our game, or free media will be gone."
Another highlight of this year’s edition was the active involvement of Croatian journalism students, who moderated debates, and the Televizija Student team, which took over the Voices YouTube channel to provide coverage of the festival.
On the third day, Croatian students expressed solidarity with their peers in Serbia by displaying a poster reading "One world, one fight – Academic solidarity" and observing 15 minutes of silence in memory of the victims from Novi Sad. Since November, students in Serbia have been leading anti-government protests, demanding a system where institutions uphold the rule of law. These demonstrations began in response to the tragic collapse of the Novi Sad train station canopy, which killed 15 people and injured many more. Many believe government corruption and mismanagement contributed to the disaster. Although the protests have remained peaceful, isolated incidents of violence on the sidelines underscore the gravity of the demand for change.
Through professional insights, workshops, movie screenings, and engagement of the next generation of journalists, the festival underscored the urgent need to protect independent media as a pillar of democracy and solidified its role as a platform for the defense of informed societies.
Voices is the result of a collaboration among seven European partners, led by the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF) at the European University Institute.