The American social media company X tried to sue a US-based media watchdog for defamation – in Ireland. Neither party is based there, and the case has nothing to do with the country. So why Ireland? Because its defamation laws are among the strictest in Europe, making it easier to win, and costlier for the defendant.

It's a classic case of libel tourism. Thanks to international defamation laws, it's possible to file a lawsuit in a jurisdiction with looser rules and higher payouts. Powerful figures can go lawsuit shopping, targeting critics in countries most favourable to plaintiffs, and most punishing the defendants, often journalists.

In this case, a US judge stepped in last week to block the move. But the attempt shows that Ireland remains a popular destination for this type of legal tourism, with its high trial costs and generous damages. Irish news publishers spend €4.3 million annually on defamation claims.Ireland is working on improving its defamation laws to better protect journalists, and tackling libel tourism is part of the discussion.

Today, EU countries can already choose not to recognise defamation cases led outside of the bloc against EU-based journalists (read more about it here). With freedom of the press increasingly under pressure, making sure EU countries don't enable abusive lawsuits will allow the bloc to better protect its journalists in the future.