Bulgaria has fallen seven positions in the 2016 World Press Freedom Index unveiled by Reporters Without Borders on Wednesday.

Bulgaria now ranks 113th out of a total of 180 countries in the global ranking of the international organization advocating media freedom around the world.

“In Bulgaria […] which has the European Union’s lowest ranking, politicians and interest groups control most of the media,” Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says in the publication.

A look at Europe-wide level shows that Bulgaria is no exception to what RSF describes as “progressive erosion of the European model”.

To back its case, RSF cites increased conflicts of interest, adoption of laws allowing mass surveillance and tightening of the grip of the authorities on state-owned media and sometimes privately-owned outlets.

“All in all, the continent that respects media freedom most seemed to be on a downhill course,” RSF concludes.

Among other EU Member States, Poland now ranks 47th, down 29 places, after the country’s Parliament adopted a bill giving powers to the treasury minister to replace the heads of the public radio and television broadcasters.

The UK ranks 38th, down 4 places; Italy is 7th, down 4, while Croatia has fallen five positions to the 65th place.

Three north European countries head the rankings: Finland (1st, the position the country has held since 2010), Netherlands (2nd, up 2 places) and Norway (3rd, down 1).

You can read the section on Europe of the World Press Freedom Index 2016 report here.