Antonela Riha on the selection for the REM Council: The government has several options.

Ana Brnabić, at the very beginning of the process, when the first objections regarding irregularities in the acceptance of proposers and candidates were already raised, stated that they are all the same. Her tone was echoed in unison by the members of the Committee for Culture and Information from the ruling majority, who dismissed all objections and accepted all those proposed, repeating: they are all the same. As a result, 78 proposers and 16 candidates withdrew from the process for the simple reason that – we are not all the same.

THE LAW IS JUST A WORD

The Law on Electronic Media clearly states that journalists who apply must have "at least ten years of experience in content production and editing or management in electronic media, on radio and television." Now, among the shortlisted candidates is journalist Bojan Bilbija, who has zero days of work in radio or television. What is missing from his attached biography is present in the Committee's response: they claim that he has been editing shows on TV Pink, Informer, and Radio Politika for years. Nada Vujović from the Novi Sad Daily also has zero days of work in electronic media. For the Committee, she is not a controversial candidate because she was the editor of a website, even though the Law clearly states that electronic media includes "content from radio and television, as well as program content available on demand via electronic communication networks."

The Law also stipulates that someone performing a public function is in a conflict of interest if they apply for the REM Council. This is likely the reason why Miloš Garić, who was the state secretary in the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications until April 17, 2025, failed to mention that he was, at the time of his candidacy, an advisor to the minister in the same Ministry. Although the Law does not recognize an advisor as a public official, it is unusual that he concealed this function, raising doubts about the completeness and accuracy of the other information he provided about himself.

The Law emphasizes the principle of affirmation and protection of human rights and freedoms, as well as the prohibition of all forms of hate speech, but this does not apply to candidate Sanja Anđelković, who was proposed by the Serbian Orthodox Church and other churches and religious communities, and who became publicly known in 2020 for – hate speech against Roma.

Clear criteria are prescribed not only for candidates but also for authorized proposers. One of them is that they must be registered for at least three years prior to the announcement of the public call and that they must have implemented at least three projects in the area in which they are applying in the last three years. Many proposers who applied do not meet these requirements, and it is particularly interesting that there is the largest “crowd” in the category of those working in child protection. Among them are, for example, the Center for Project Ideas, Tour de Fruška, the Association Ustani prijatelju, the Alliance of Serbian Associations of the Severnobački District, and even the Association of Old Crafts Lane. Compared to the previous unsuccessful call, there are now many more proposers, including the Center for Research of the Danube Region. The aim is, in fact, to numerically overpower those who do not conform to the regime and thus, in the final decision-making, outvote them.

These are just some of the 30 objections sent to the Committee for Culture and Information. None of them were not only accepted but also not considered at the meetings. It was clear whom the authorities wanted; it was clear that there was no intention to reflect on the Law, let alone to respect it. The rebellious proposers were imposed the theme of discussing the interpretation of the Law, debating whether the online portals of print media are electronic media, whether children aged 15 to 18 are children or not, and whether it is customary for an association for old crafts to deal with them.

FAILURE IN INSTALLMENTS

The full name of REM is the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media, and it was envisioned as an independent regulatory institution with a range of responsibilities intended to ensure the implementation of established policy in the area of media service provision, improve the quality and diversity of electronic media services, protect and develop freedom of thought, expression, and the free flow of information, pluralism, and the prohibition of discrimination, all in the interest of the public. Its job is to supervise, analyze, control, issue operating licenses, and punish those who violate laws and professional standards.

So states the Law on Electronic Media. But in reality, the key role of REM in recent years has been to ensure content control of broadcasters and promote the authorities. Part of that "power" of REM is to select the Management Boards of public services – RTS and RTV – and the job of those Management Boards is to choose directors. The chain of command is established, and any disharmony, such as some sort of independent REM and Council members who think for themselves, poses a danger to the authorities.

For this reason, little has been said about the work of REM, decisions have been made non-transparently, and the significance of the institution has been devalued to the extent that a new Niš TV recently emerged, which launched its programming with an exclusive interview with President Aleksandar Vučić, despite the fact that the mandate of the REM Council, which is responsible for issuing operating licenses, expired at the beginning of November 2024.

Few would remember that REM even exists if it weren't for Serbia's obligations to the EU and Cluster 3, which includes, among other things, the formation of a new REM Council and the adoption of a package of media laws. The Serbian government would not have rushed to fulfill these requirements by the end of July if the opening of Cluster 3 were not tied to the unblocking of EU funds. According to the Minister for European Integration Nemanja Starović, Serbia submitted a request to the European Commission in March for the payment of the first tranche from the Growth Plan amounting to 68 million euros.

Of the three media laws, two reached the Assembly without public discussion, and one was debated during the New Year holidays. It was expected that the formation of the new REM Council would also be expedited, but the call was annulled at the beginning of the year by a decision from seven out of 18 candidates who made it to the shortlist to withdraw their candidacies due to the irregularities in the election process. The repeated call, along with the withdrawal of numerous proposers and candidates, represents a new failure for the authorities. Meetings of the Committee for Culture and Information, which were supposed to agree on candidate proposals, scheduled for June 16, have been postponed indefinitely.

PROPAGANDA POLYGON OF POWER

None of us who withdrew from the process expected that in a country where the authorities have trampled all institutions, a miracle would happen, that a REM would be established that would regulate the media space and revoke operating licenses from broadcasters who poison the public with hate from screens and radio waves.

No one among us believes that the authorities can change their nature and intentions overnight. My idea was that the moment had come when personal example and action made sense in the newly created atmosphere in society, where every day demands from the streets, from all over Serbia, that institutions do their job and that within them, work on change is necessary.

On the other hand, the authorities could have seen this as an opportunity to show that they are capable and willing to respect the laws, that they know how to listen and hear. They could have, but they didn't. Once again, they demonstrated incompetence and arrogance. They also showed an absolute lack of awareness of reality because – we are not all the same. There are those of us who oppose and demand clear procedures and respect for the law. And there is no negotiation or compromise on that.

Students, supported by citizens, blocked RTS for 14 days demanding the election of a new REM Council. Now they can note that yet another demand has not been accepted. European Union officials are aware of the entire process and all irregularities. It is up to them to decide whether to turn a blind eye to the obvious manipulation by the authorities or to demand that the law and standards applicable in the Union countries be respected.

The authorities have several options. The first is to annul the call and thus admit that they are incapable of conducting a clear election procedure for the members of the REM Council twice. The second is to take a few steps back and "clean the list" of proposers and candidates who do not meet the call's requirements and thus try to continue the process. The third is to choose their Council from the candidates who are now in the running, including the controversial ones. I suspect they will choose the last option. Thus, we will once again have REM and media that serve as a propaganda polygon for the power of Aleksandar Vučić and his followers.

Authored text by Antonela Rihana, taken from the Vreme weekly portal.