Legislative work has been integrated into broader reforms of civil procedure and rules on abusive litigation, rather than a single standalone framework.
A key step in the transposition process is the adoption of implementing measures published in the Journal Officiel on 5 May 2026 (JORF n°0105, text n°9), which introduces procedural measures aimed at addressing abusive legal actions targeting public participation. The decree explicitly implements parts of the Directive by allowing courts to more rapidly identify and dismiss manifestly unfounded claims intended to silence journalists, whistleblowers, and civil society actors.
The decree reflects France’s approach of integrating the Directive into existing civil procedure rather than creating a standalone anti-SLAPP framework, building on existing abuse-of-process mechanisms while adding EU-aligned procedural safeguards.
However, implementation remains fragmented, with key safeguards such as early dismissal and strengthened cost-shifting still not fully consolidated in practice. Moreover, the decree applies only to civil proceedings. Criminal defamation prosecutions are not covered by the new protections, even though they are a common means of silencing.
Sources:
CASE is a coalition of European NGOs that recognize the threat posed to public watchdogs by Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs).
The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) was founded in 2015 in Leipzig, Germany, and operates under European press freedom charters.
CASE is a coalition of European NGOs that recognize the threat posed to public watchdogs by Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs).
The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) was founded in 2015 in Leipzig, Germany, and operates under European press freedom charters.
Mapping Media Freedom documents press and media freedom violations across Europe. The documented incidents are publicly accessible and can be explored, filtered, and searched through the interactive Alert Explorer.