Maja Sever: Ursula von der Leyen's reaction regarding the media in Serbia should be serious.

Media freedom in the region is in crisis, especially in Serbia, which includes political pressures on N1 and Nova, states the coalition of international organizations for media freedom. Therefore, they have called on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to raise the issue of threats, the protection of journalists, and media pluralism with the relevant authorities during her visit to the Western Balkans.

When asked why they publicly addressed the President of the European Commission, Maja Sever says that this is the essence of their work.

"The question arises: what are we serving if we do not serve you, journalists in the field, if we do not react in such situations, given that we are funded by the EU to do this mapping? Without such a reaction during von der Leyen's visit to Serbia, I believe that our work would lack real meaning," she stated.

Sever notes that the Coalition of International Organizations for Media Freedom (Media Freedom Rapid Response - MFRR) prepared a report after the visit to Serbia, which recorded 381 alerts regarding attacks on journalists in six countries of the Western Balkans.

"Out of 381 alerts, 222 are in Serbia. This means that the level of violence and pressure on journalists in Serbia is unique among all EU member states and those countries in accession negotiations," Sever emphasized.

As she mentioned, they wanted to present this data to the President of the European Commission before her arrival in Serbia on Wednesday.

"I believe this letter is just a drop in the ocean of our work and the idea to connect journalists, media, and organizations to collaborate precisely due to such issues. For serious individuals and organizations to send her - look, this is happening in the country you will be visiting," Sever added.

When asked whether she thinks Ursula von der Leyen is unaware of the situation in the media in Serbia, Sever replies:

"As the President of the EFJ, I can say that our reports and some of our alerts do reach both the European Parliament and the European Commission. I believe that, in principle, everyone knows; those in the European Commission responsible for media have our reports. Should more be done? Yes, we believe that the reaction should be serious, and that is what we demanded after the visit to Serbia - that chapters in the accession process concerning media freedoms need to be reconsidered based on what we observed on the ground."

Sever also hopes that journalists will have the opportunity to ask von der Leyen questions regarding this during the press conference tomorrow.

Source: N1