The report examines the role of the European courts in shaping media policies in the Mediadem countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom). It focuses on the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union on media freedom. Domestic case law and legislative processes are also considered to the extent they interact with European rulings. The analysis provides a comparative overview of litigation practices in the various countries, leading cases and recurring topics. It also discusses the status of European court decisions in the national legal systems, the execution of European judgments and the values served by the European courts.

The report ist part of a collective volume produced by all MEDIADEM-teams: "Comparative report. Media freedom and independence in 14 European countries: A comparative perspective" published 2012.

The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement FP7-SSH-2009-244365 (MEDIADEM)