13. 06. 2011

Markovic: New in media sphere

Leskovac, June 13, 2011 (Politika) - The Minister of Culture, Media and Information Society Predrag Markovic told FoNet news agency that "text of the Media Strategy and behavior of politicians during the adoption of the set of laws that ensue from it" would determine if the state would withdraw from media ownership. "What is now publicly available and what expert circles are becoming familiar with in main cities of Serbia is the text of the Media Strategy", explained the Minister and reminded that this document had been prepared by the working group that represented media associations in Serbia, based on the Protocol signed with this Ministry.   

Without mentioning possible dates for the adoption of the Draft Media Strategy, Markovic announced a set o public discussions on the proposed text that "anticipates many things".  

Markovic stressed that the Draft Media Strategy foresaw a series of mechanisms that already existed in Europe, adoption of new laws in the media sphere, as well as establishing a different model of privatization of media than the existing one.  

The Strategy anticipates a range of solutions in various fields, which should enable the state to use budget funds to protect only the type of informative activities that were important to citizens, while not meddle in the rest.  

Minister Markovic concluded that such a provision had been included in the Serbian Constitution since 1903, "which stipulated that press in Serbia is free".  

The Government of Serbia has obliged itself, in the Questionnaire of the European Commission, to adopt Media Strategy in the first half of this year.