The European Commission is allocating nearly 3 million euros’ funds to create “a pan-European platform or network of media hubs that promote a pluralistic media environment”. The focus is “on ensuring that exiled independent journalists and media can continue producing content and distributing it to their audiences without editorial interference”, the EU Commission wrote in a notice today. 2024 data speak of approximately 1,500 journalists fled or relocated to the EU from the two Eastern European countries. This is the second call of this kind that Brussels has made to make the EU “a major hub for those striving for freedom of expression and democracy.” The previous call, made in 2023, led to the birth of the Free Media Hub East project, led by the Prague Civil Society Centre and provided with over 2.2 million euros in order to give assistance and psychological support, technological support and to ease cooperation between exiled journalists and editorial newsrooms in the EU (especially in the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania). Public authorities, international organisations, NGOs and research centres may apply for the new call by March 14th 2025 (https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/funding/media-freedom-hub-2025). The issue of support to free, independent and pluralist media is part of the journey towards the Democracy Shield, which the Von der Leyen 2024-2029 Chas on its agenda.