A controversial EU bill that raised eyebrows for initially allowing governments to spy on journalists for reasons of national security has been amended to include "no mention whatsoever" of national security.
Spokespersons for several EU institutions announced they reached an agreement on a provisional text for the European Media Freedom Act in a press conference in Brussels on Friday afternoon.
"There is no mention whatsoever of national security in any part of this legislative text. Nothing. It says we must respect the responsibilities of member states as outlined in the treaties they signed," Romanian MEP Ramona Strugariu said.
"We are where we wanted to be. It was almost impossible but we made it."
A clause in the bill's previous draft would have allowed states to spy on journalists for reasons of national security.
The clause became a bone of contention among EU institutions and member states, and a French press agency reported earlier this week that Malta was one of seven countries insisting on keeping the clause in the bill.
The EU Parliament wanted the clause amended, arguing it was much too broad. National security could be used as an excuse to spy on journalists for unjustified reasons, MEPs argued.
On Friday, it was announced that the clause was rephrased to restrict surveillance on journalists as much as possible, completely abolishing the words national security.
"No journalist can be spied on for doing their job and there will be no access to their sources," EU Commission Vice-President Věra Jourova said.
"Any exception to the rule must be justified on a case-by-case basis and in accordance with strict conditions. There are no blank cheques."
MEP Sabine Verheyen, who spearheaded the text through parliament, said any surveillance, such as the use of spyware in journalists' devices, would only be possible if there was a judicial decision and for serious crimes only.
"We reached a good compromise because in the end we want to have this piece of legislation as quickly as possible for the protection of journalists and I'm very happy we got that as a Christmas present," she said.
Friday's announcement concludes a process of arduous negotiations that took over a year.
The bill - which is the first law on press freedom in the EU - was lauded as a historic success and a huge victory for democracy and freedom of speech.
The bill will better protect media from interference and safeguard journalists' freedom.
"Today's agreement confirms the EU's position as a world leader in protecting journalists, guaranteeing the independence of media providers, and ensuring that citizens have access to a wide and diverse range of reliable news sources," Spanish Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun said.
The EU's Media Freedom Act was proposed by Brussels last year in the face of increased pressure facing journalists in countries such as Hungary and Poland.
The draft text will become law once it is formally adopted by the parliament and member states at EU Council level.