In the wake of the 2022 Russian war against Ukraine, the European Union adopted several packages of restrictive measures. Banning the ‘broadcasting activities’ of certain Russian media outlets may have been the most controversial of these measures, raising difficult questions regarding the Union’s competences and the human rights involved. This article discusses the General Court’s judgment that dismissed an action for annulment against the ban. The Court of Justice, before which an appeal is pending, is likely to uphold it. But the Court should refine the argument regarding the legal basis (and its limits), state clearly that only the prohibition of propaganda for war could serve as a justification for the measure, and address the fundamental rights capacity of companies that are considered an ‘emanation of a state’.
