29. 01. 2004

Council of Europe questions legitimacy of Broadcast Council

BELGRADE, January 29, 2004 –– The Council of Europe has joined criticism of the process by which members were elected to Serbia’s first ever broadcasting watchdog, the Broadcast Council. The Council’s Parliamentary Assembly adopted a report this week saying the election of three councillors was illegal. The OSCE and a number of domestic and foreign media associations have criticised the process by which councillors were appointed to the body, which is tasked with allocating broadcasting frequencies and monitoring television and radio stations. Vladimir Vodinelic, a former Council member who resigned over the disputed appointments, said the report confirmed once more that the election process had been violated in the case of three of his fellow councillors. “The problem with the Broadcast Council from the very beginning is that it was illegitimately appointed and that, as such, it does not have the authority to do its job,” said Vodinelic.