Report from the EK: Media that violate the ethical code receive public funding through projects and public procurement.
Despite the law from 2023, which improved the provisions on the transparency of such competitions by stipulating mandatory criteria for compliance with the Journalists' Code, and whose implementation is monitored by the Press Council, the competitions published during 2024 have significantly reduced public financing in certain municipalities, according to the European Commission's annual report on the state of the rule of law in Serbia.
The report adds that the remaining funds from the public budget are allocated through less transparent procedures, such as the procurement of informational services and advertising.
“Some media outlets that have violated the Journalists' Code continue to receive public funding through co-financing, even though the Law on Public Information and Media stipulates that adherence to ethical standards by media is one of the criteria for obtaining co-financing funds,” the report emphasizes.
As an example, it is noted that significant funds were allocated in Vranje to Vranjska Plus and Radio-Television Vranje, both of which violated the Journalists' Code of Serbia.
It is also pointed out that the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications increased the budget for public co-financing of media content at the national level for the year 2025 by 27 percent and that in January, Serbia established a Unified Information System on Public Co-Financing of Media, in accordance with the Law on Public Information and Media.
According to the statements in the European Commission's report, media associations have expressed criticism regarding the functioning of this system, as well as the amendments introduced in the secondary regulations on public co-financing.
“Regarding other sources of public financing, including advertising, the goal of the media strategy to present them in a transparent, comprehensive, and user-friendly manner in the media register has still not been fully achieved. Legal provisions on inspection oversight of the media register have yet to be implemented. Additionally, the process of privatization in the media sector and measures to increase the transparency of public procurement in the media sector, as foreseen by the media strategy, have not yet been completed,” the European Commission assesses.
