08. 07. 2009

ENDANGERED INDENPENDENCY OF MINORITY MEDIA

The Draft Law, which provides that National Councils of National Minorities can be owners of electronic media, was unanimously evaluated as bad by journalists’ associations and experts.

Belgrade, July 8, 2009 (Politika)- The Government of the Republic of Serbia, on last week session, adopted the Draft Law on National Councils of National Minorities. The Draft Law, created by the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights, suggests that the National Councils of National Minorities can establish and own not only newspapers, but also can establish and own radio and TV stations. In Article 18. it is proposed that ”National Council can, according to the Law, independently or with another legal entity, establish institutions and companies for publishing and broadcasting activities, printing and reproduction, and exercise all the other rights and obligations of the founder”.

The Draft Law also provides that the Republic, the province or local government may transfer the founding rights of existing public media to the National Councils, with the guarantee of the continuation of budget financing.

- That is not a good solution, because state can keep on interfering in media sphere, contrary to democratic experiences and existing domestic regulatory policies. Current Public Information Act and Broadcasting Law do not recognize that kind of possibility. National Councils are rightful representatives of minorities in Serbia, but they are also, if not state, than pseudo-state authorities. In that way, state impact can be reflected on media – said Rade Veljanovski, professor of Political Sciences and member of working group for creating media laws.

Solution, that national councils can be full or partial owner of electronic media, Veljanovski considers the product of
“pressure of political oligarchies of minorities.”  

It is concerning, that state, in preparing this Draft Law, used solutions which are contrary to the other laws. Similar confusion, which stopped privatization of media, happened by the end of 2007. The Law on Local Self-government and Capital City Act were adopted at that time, which enabled state to be a media owner, previously disabled by other media laws. If this kind of solution passes, Veljanovski considers, that it would be a “new contribution to the regulatory confusion”.

Journalists Association of Serbia (UNS) also evaluates the suggested solution as bad.

- There is no dilemma that National Councils should not be owners of either printed or electronic media. Those Councils are often branch offices of the political parties of national minorities, especially numerous ones, like the Hungarian minority, where only one party has dominant influence,  therefore, this ownership concept becomes “extended hand” of a single political party.  UNS will use all possibilities to distract attention on that wrongly solution- said Nino Brajovic, Secretary General of UNS.

Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS) is also not satisfied with offered proposals.

- Privatization must be finished, and state, after their privatization, has to help minority media.  NUNS consider that position of minority media mustn’t be diminished by privatization, as long as state finds adequate way to help their existence. It is clear that great number of them is not commercial, and that is hard for them to maintain on media market, and for these reasons state must assist them, according to the specific minority rights, guaranteed by Constitution and international standards. But without possibility of minority media remain in the public ownership. National Councils are exclusively financed by the state budget.  If the new law allows to National Councils to establish, beside printed media, radio and TV stations, does it mean that state will increase budget funding for such media, and also, what will happen with other media and existence of inequality on media market between privatized and still budget funded media- said Svetozar Rakovic, Secretary General of NUNS.