A cross party group of six MEPs have asked the European Commission to introduce legislation protecting independent media against intimidating lawsuits that attempt to bully media into submission.

A SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) is a suit filed with the intention of silencing a publisher by forcing it to pay legal costs too expensive for it to fight.

SLAPP plaintiffs often do not expect to win the lawsuits, aiming instead to intimidate and silence the publisher.