78 authorized proposers, 16 candidates have withdrawn from the process of electing members of the REM Council so far.

At the meeting of the Culture and Information Committee held on June 6, 2025, it was decided to disregard the Law on Electronic Media and accept all illegal proposers and candidates. No objections were considered at subsequent meetings held on June 9 and 11. In doing so, the National Assembly and the competent committee consciously carried out a series of actions that are contrary to the law, legal standards, and the principles of public interest.

We remind you that the election of a new composition of the REM Council was initiated after two weeks of blockades during which students and citizens demanded its establishment in accordance with the law. Instead, we are witnessing yet another political agreement that results in the nullification of the process and the humiliation of the legal order of the Republic of Serbia.

We will not be accomplices in the simulation of reforms and the feigning of compliance with European obligations while the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) is systematically undermined as an independent body. REM is not a political tool—it exists to protect civil rights, freedom of expression, combat hate speech, and ensure genuine media pluralism.

We believe that entry into the European Union cannot happen outside the law, but through its consistent application. For all the above reasons, we consider this process to be legally and politically compromised, and we hereby confirm that we will no longer participate in it.

We remind you that yesterday six film associations and the Association of Dramatic Artists of Serbia withdrew from the process, along with their four candidates. With today’s withdrawal of an even larger number of participants, a total of 78 authorized proposers and 16 candidates have now withdrawn from the REM Council election process. In as many as seven out of nine categories, both proposers and candidates have withdrawn, clearly indicating that this process has lost all legitimacy.

The letter delivered today to the National Assembly, signed by the proposers and candidates who have withdrawn from further participation in the process, is as follows:

"National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia
Culture and Information Committee
Kralja Milana 14
11000 Belgrade

Subject: Notification of Withdrawal from the Election Process for the Members of the REM Council

Dear Sir/Madam,
We, the proposers and candidates who have consistently pointed out the violations of legal procedures and rules throughout the process, hereby inform you that we are withdrawing from further participation in the election of members of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) Council.

This decision is made after none of the 30 objections submitted by legitimate proposers, which highlighted gross violations and misinterpretations of fundamental legal provisions, were taken into account. At the meeting of the Culture and Information Committee held on June 6, 2025, an official decision was made to disregard the Law on Electronic Media and accept all illegal proposers and candidates. Despite the fact that two more committee meetings were subsequently held on June 9 and 11, none of those meetings considered the objections.

Through an expedited process, the National Assembly and the Culture and Information Committee conducted a series of actions that are contrary to the law, legal standards, and elementary principles of public interest:

● Although the Committee claimed in official documents that certain proposers and candidates did not meet the legal requirements, it decided to disregard those findings and keep all candidates on the list—including those who did not submit the supplements previously requested by the Committee.

● Concurrently, unfounded accusations and challenges were made against us as proposers and candidates who insist on legality, using procedural maneuvers to create the appearance of “balance” between those participating lawfully and those unlawfully in the process.

● The Committee's decisions were based on arbitrary and disputed interpretations of the law, including the stance that printed media with a website are automatically classified as electronic media, that individuals aged 15–18 are not considered children, and that engagement in traditional crafts can be regarded as child protection. Despite requests for authentic interpretations of these terms, the Committee refused to wait for them before finalizing the candidate list.

● The next phase of the election process envisages agreement on candidates, which will inevitably lead to the election of illegal candidates by illegal proposers and the unlawful composition of the REM Council.

● Pointing out the illegalities in the procedure was treated as pressure on institutions and was presented in parliamentary discussions as an obstacle to European integration, the opening of Cluster 3, achieving progress in the Reform Agenda, and implementing ODIHR recommendations.

This kind of logic completely distorts the meaning of reform processes and European integration. If the path to Europe for the Republic of Serbia can only be achieved by violating its own laws—then we cannot and will not be accomplices in such a process.

The independence and autonomy of REM is not a matter of administrative procedure, nor is it subject to political agreements and negotiation processes. It is a prerequisite for respecting the fundamental rights of the citizens of Serbia: the right to freedom of expression, child protection, protection against abuse and persecution of dissenters, protection against hate speech, as well as ensuring genuine media pluralism.

REM exists to protect civil rights—freedom of expression, child protection, preventing hate speech, and ensuring media pluralism. Its purpose is not to fulfill political goals, international promises, or simulate reforms within the framework of European integrations.

Entry into the European Union cannot occur through bypassing the law, ignoring norms, and creating negotiated balances between legality and illegality, but exclusively through the application of the law, the rule of law, and institutional integrity. Any action contrary to this undermines the very essence of the existence of the European Union, but, more importantly, threatens the fundamental democratic principles in the Republic of Serbia.

We remind you that a repeated process for the election of members of the REM Council was announced after a two-week blockade involving students and citizens demanding the establishment of this independent body in accordance with the law. In light of all the aforementioned, we consider the process led by the National Assembly to be legally and politically undermined. We hereby confirm that we withdraw from further participation in a process that is being conducted contrary to the laws of the Republic of Serbia.

Sincerely,

Proposers:

ANEM (Association of Independent Electronic Media)

ASTRA - Action Against Human Trafficking

DUGA Association

Autonomous Women's Center

Balkan Investigative Network BIRN

Belgrade Open School (BOS)

Belgrade Center for Security Policy BCBP

Belgrade Center for Human Rights

Local Democracy Center LDA

Center for Modern Skills

Center for Civil Action

Center for Youth Integration CIM

Center for Creative and Sustainable Development Misturafina

Center for Creative Development - Knjaževac

Center for Educational Policies

Center for Child Rights

Center for Knowledge and Skills Production

Center for Community Development LINK

Center for Social Preventive Activities GRiG

CRTA

Children's Center Zaječar

Feminist Cultural Center BEFEM

Civic Initiatives

MAŠTA Group, Prijepolje

Children and Youth Group “Indigo”

Helsinki Committee for Human Rights

MDRI-S Initiative for the Rights of Persons with Mental Disabilities

Klara and Rosa

Human Rights Lawyers Committee

Creative Pedagogy

House of Human Rights Belgrade

Media and Reform Center Niš

Network of Organizations for Children of Serbia MODS

National Association of Parents and Teachers of Serbia - NARNS

Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia

Novosad School of Journalism

NVO Atina

NVO Praxis

NVO Svetionik

Human Rights Committee Niš

Okular

Friends of Children Organization of the Municipality of Požarevac

Organization for Lesbian and Human Rights – Labris

Partners for Democratic Change Serbia

Polekol

Help for Children

Friends of Children of the City of Niš

Friends of Children of the Municipality of Inđija

Friends of Children of the Municipality of Surčin

Friends of Children of Serbia

Friends of Children of Zvezdara

SHARE Foundation

Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation

Sombor Educational Center

Association "I Have an Idea"

Association "Support to the Family SIDRO"

Association "Let It Be Known!"

Association of Dramatic Artists of Serbia

Forum for Civil Action FORCA

Civic Association “NEXUS - Vranje”

Civic Association "KOKORO" - Bor

Civic Association "Zlatiborski Krug"

Civic Association KROKODIL

Association of Musical Arts - Music Art Project

Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS)

Užice Center for Human Rights and Democracy

Association for the Support of Children and Persons with Disabilities and Their Families "Realno"

Women’s Association of the Kolubara District ŽUKO

Candidates:

Antonela Riha

Dubravka Valić Nedeljković

Dušan Aleksić

Đorđe Vlajić

Gordana Predić

Ivan Lalić

Irina Milutinović

Jelka Jovanović

Mileva Malešić

Rodoljub Šabić

Tatjana Jordović Nikolić

Željko Hubač