20. 12. 2011

Government overrides Media Strategy

Belgrade, December 20, 2011 (B92) - Coalition of journalists' and media associations strongly protests over the way in which the Serbian Government intends to implement a decision on allocation of 368 million RSD.

NUNS, UNS, NDNV, ANEM and Local Press point out in their joint statement that these funds will not be allocated through project financing, in accordance with the public interest, but directly to the media - budget users, primarily to the Public Company Tanjug news agency.

According to the coalition, with such decision, the Serbian Government has violated the basic principles stipulated in the recently adopted Media Strategy, as well as the relevant regulations on state aid and its control, thus infringing the principle of equality on the media market.

The associations also say that his decision is contrary to the key position of the European Commission that public interest must be clearly defined in each grant of the state aid.

Given the fact that the Tanjug agency is financed by taxpayers' money and, at the same time, is operating on the market, this decision of the Serbian Government continues to promote the principle of unfair competition, additionally jeopardizing the operations of the other two news agencies, says in the statement of NUNS, UNS, ANEM, NDNV and Association of Independent Local Media - Local Press.

"Instead of working on ensuring equal conditions on the market, in line with its commitments, the state continues the practice of funding the media in its ownership, completely ignoring the public interest and violating free market principles and the ones advocated by the EU", it was stated in the press release of the associations.

As they jointly stated, it seemed that the ultimate goal of this decision was to shut down Tanjug competition and establish a state monopoly in the sphere of news agencies.

The media coalition is unsure whether this decision means that the Serbian Government has completely given up on the Media Strategy even before its implementation has begun, or it has dropped down the concept of creating equal conditions for all media on the market.

"If so, the coalition urges the Government to publicly declare it", says in the statement of the Coalition of media and journalists' associations.