ANEM: Cancel the evaluation committees for the projects in which Biljana Ratković Njegovan has been selected.
The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) has sent official letters requesting the local governments of Rekovac, Gornji Milanovac, and Doljevac to annul the decisions regarding the appointment of committees for evaluating projects within the competition for co-financing media content, considering that Biljana Ratković Njegovan, who holds a public office, has been selected in all three instances. The letter has also been addressed to the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications, urging the temporary removal of this candidate's name from the Unified Information System (UIS) so that the authorities issuing the competitions cannot reappoint her.
Biljana Ratković Njegovan is listed in the register of public officials as a person actively serving as a member of the Temporary Council of the Academy of Applied Studies Novi Sad since February 19, 2026. It is evident that Ratković Njegovan was appointed to this position following the publication of the final list of candidates for the evaluation of media projects and that she likely applied for the same earlier; however, this does not justify the authorities in appointing her to the commissions.
According to Article 25, paragraph 3 of the Law on Public Information and Media, it is stipulated that the members of the commission are appointed by the head of the authority that announced the competition, from among theorists, analysts, and practitioners in the media field who apply independently, or who are proposed by journalistic and media associations, and who are not in a conflict of interest, meaning those who do not hold a public office as defined by regulations governing conflicts of interest in the performance of public functions.
Paragraph 6 of the same article states that appointed, elected, or designated individuals in the authorities of the Republic of Serbia, autonomous provinces, local self-government units, public enterprises, and economic companies, as well as institutions and other organizations founded by, or members of which include the Republic of Serbia, autonomous provinces, or local self-government units, cannot participate in the work of the commission, along with related individuals in the sense of regulations governing conflicts of interest in the performance of public functions.
Article 149, paragraph 1, item 6 stipulates that a responsible person in a public authority will be fined between 50,000 dinars and 150,000 dinars for the offense if, contrary to the law, they make a decision on the appointment of a commission that evaluates projects submitted to the competition (Article 25, paragraphs 3-6).
In accordance with this, the heads of the authority who appointed her to the commissions should relieve her of these positions, along with the other commission members. According to the provision of Article 21, paragraph 6 of the Rules on Co-financing Projects for Achieving Public Interest in the Field of Public Information, it is stipulated that if an appointed member is unable to continue participating in the work of the commission for justified reasons or if it is determined that a conflict of interest exists, the commission will be dissolved, and a new one will be appointed from among the registered candidates. As stipulated in Article 19, paragraph 1 of the said Rules, the members of the commissions are appointed by the head of the authority that announced the competition, it follows that the authority head who announced the competition is also responsible for dissolving the existing commission and forming a new one.
Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)
The project of the Association of Independent Electronic Media "Participatory Monitoring of the Implementation of Co-financing Processes" is supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the MATRA program. ANEM is solely responsible for the content, which does not necessarily reflect the official views of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
