06. 10. 2009

SERBIAN PARLIAMENT TO ELECT NEW RBA COUNCIL MEMBERS

Belgrade, October 6, 2009 (BETA) - The Serbian Parliament should, on its session on October 6, 2009, elect two new members to the RBA Council, nominated by journalists' associations and non-government organizations.

NGOs have nominated six candidates. The list includes the previous member of the RBA Council Velimir Milosevic (Scouts Association of Serbia and Ekopolis), Miljenko Dereta (Civil iniciatives), Rajko Djuric (Roma Holocaust Foundation), Bozo Prelevic (Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence), Goran Pekovic (International Association of Advertisers) and Milovan Vitezovic (Belgrade Cultural and Educational Community).

Journalists' associations have nominated two candidates: Milan Becejic (Journalists Association of Serbia - UNS) and Gordana Susa (Independent Journalist Association of Serbia - NUNS).

Amendments to the Broadcasting Law, adopted in late May 2009, stipulated that authorized proposers should agree on the best two candidates, and if they failed to do so, the Parliament's Culture and Information Committee should narrow the list to two candidates by its choice.

The Committee has not said whether the list is narrowed, and to what names. Mandates of two RBA Council members, Slobodan Djoric and Velimir Milosevic, expired on February 18, 2009, but new members of this regulatory body have not yet been elected as the media associations had not agreed on the candidates, and forwarded the list to the Culture and Information Committee with three names instead of only two: Gordana Susa, Maksa Catovic and Slobodan Djoric.