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13. 08. 2014

MEDIA LAWS TO COME INTO FORCE

13.8.2014 (Tanjug, Politika) - Media laws - on public information and media, on electronic media, and on public service broadcasters, will come into force today.

The parliament adopted the set of reform laws on August 2 by a majority vote.

The laws envisage withdrawal of the state from media ownership and media privatization, introduction of tax instead of TV subscription, and creation of conditions for digitalization.

According to the Law on Public Information and Media, the privatization procedure is to be completed by July 1, 2015, except in special cases.

The law defines public interest in the domain of public information.

It creates conditions for free development of independent, professional media and media system which should enable meeting of a wide range of citizens' needs for information and media content from all areas of social life, without discrimination.

The law defines position of editors, protection of journalists' rights and incitement of journalistic association, transparency of media ownership, establishment of Media Registry, and protection of media pluralism through prevention of illicit mergers in the domain of public information.

The law envisages transition from direct budgetary financing of some media to the system of project-based co-financing for all the media, that is media publishers who are listed in the media registry, legal entitities, that is enterpreneurs who are registered for the production of media content, and other legal entitities, that is enterpreneurs.

The Law on Electronic Media precisely defines competencies of Serbia over providers of audio-visual media services due to digital switchover.

New technical achievements mean that all EU members must switch from analogue to digital broadcasting by 2015, and that providers of programmatic content are considered providers of audio-visual media services, and not broadcasters.

The Law on Public Service Broadcasters (PSBs) regulates the work of public service broadcasters Radio Televsion of Serbia (RTS) and Radio Television of Vojvodina (RTV), defines their obligation to work on the premises of truthful, unbiased, complete and timely informing of citizens, it bans censorship, and defines respect of human rights and budgetary financing by 2016.

The Law says that PSBs will be financed as of 2016 from the tax for PSBs, from the budget, from commercial income...

Tax will be introduced as of 2016, which will be unified in the whole territory of Serbia and it cannot exceed 500 dinars.

In the following years, the amount of the tax will be harmonized with the increase in the Index of consumer prices for the month of September in the year of harmonization.