07. 04. 2010

ANEM PARTICIPATION IN MEETINGS AT THE RBA AND THE SERBIAN GOVERNMENT

As a part of its advocacy activities for improving the position of broadcasters, ANEM has participated in two important meetings both held on April 7, 2010, one at the Republic Broadcasting Agency and the other at the Government of Serbia. At both meetings, ANEM was the only invited media organization.

•    Meeting at the RBA: the Republic Broadcasting Agency held a meeting on April 7, 2010, as a part of the public debate on its Draft Rule Book on Cable Broadcasting. The meeting was attended by representatives of the authorities and regulatory bodies: members of the RBA Council, representatives of RATEL and the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Society, the leading cable operators, RTS representative, the OSCE representative and ANEM President, Sasa Mirkovic. Invitation to ANEM to attend this meeting at the RBA came after ANEM's official letter to the Agency on February 19, 2010, which contained suggestions on the Draft Rule Book on Cable Broadcasting. Deeming it extremely important to regulate this matter as soon as possible and in the best possible way, ANEM used its right with this letter to give its opinion and comments on this Draft. At the above meeting, partcipants discussed about the modified Draft text that contained adopted suggestions and objections of media organizations and cable distributors, previously given in conducted public consultations. At this meeting, ANEM stood on all its proposals to amend the Draft, some of which had been accepted by the RBA. According to information of RBA, this Draft Rule Book should soon be included in the agenda of the RBA Council, which will decide on its adoption and the final text, following which it will be forwarded to the Government for approval.

•    Meeting at the Government of Serbia: On April 7, 2010, the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Society organized a meeting on "Licensing of television and the number of regional and local television and Digitalization" held at the premises of Serbian Government, within preparatory activities for the process of digitalization of electronic media in Serbia. Along with ANEM representatives - President Sasa Mirkovic and ANEM lawyer Nebojsa Samardzic, this meeting was also attended by representatives of the said Ministry, regulatory bodies RBA and RATEL, as well as the representatives of the Serbian Army. The participation of ANEM in this meeting followed its letter to the Ministry on February 23, 2010, which contained suggestions on topics that ought to be the basis of a responsible public policy in the field of digitalization of broadcasting, as well as ANEM's Public Statement on March 16, 2010, on the occasion of an announcement of the RBA public call for issuing of broadcasting licenses. At the meeting, the present participants discussed the preparations for the process of digitalization, the necessary activities of the competent authorities, as well as the necessary synchronization of their actions. At the meeting, it was also assessed that it would be good for all present, as interested parties, to be in contact, to exchange the necessary information and if needed, to meet in the future at similar events. Within its advocacy activities to improve the position of broadcasters, ANEM will continue to directly represent the interests of its members and fight for their better and easier transition to digital broadcasting. One of the ways to do this is the participation in these meetings, as well as the active participation in the work of the working group of the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Society for the monitoring of the process of digitalization, where ANEM is able to directly represent stands and interests of its members.