Authors: Inès Gentil & Maria Giovanna Sessa, EU DisinfoLab
Reviewers: Steve Schmit & Stéphanie Lukazik, RTL Luxembourg
Updated on 07/11/2024
Introduction
- Despite its small size and high levels of freedom of expression and press quality, Luxembourg has not been immune to disinformation. The country has faced the spread of false narratives, often influenced by its multilingual environment and proximity to larger neighbouring countries.
- The press is widely respected in Luxembourg, and journalists enjoy a high level of public trust. Issues like banking secrecy and tax evasion have historically remained off limits, but previous revelations like LuxLeaks have challenged this status quo.
- Awareness of disinformation issues is relatively recent, and while regulations are evolving, there are currently no specific laws penalising the dissemination of false news. A new law, expected in 2024, aims to enhance access to public information, addressing past limitations due to data protection concerns.
- Luxembourg’s media landscape was redefined following the 2021 vote on a new system of state aid for the media. Although media outlets operate freely, close ties between journalists and political or economic power can sometimes raise concerns on full freedom of expression, presenting a medium risk to political independence. Historical ties between media outlets and political parties still influence the sector, though these connections no longer pose a significant threat to media independence. Despite the lack of specific regulations on conflicts of interest between media owners and political figures, political interference remains generally restrained.
- Notably, RTL dominates Luxembourg’s media landscape, receiving significant state subsidies, and reaching the majority of the population on a weekly basis.
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Supported by:
The V1 of this factsheet was funded by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom.
This factsheet has benefitted from the support of the EU project EDMO BELUX II that has received funding from the European Union under Grant Agreement number 101158785. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union.
The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of EU DisinfoLab. This factsheet does not represent an endorsement by EU DisinfoLab of any organisation.
