MFRR: The Election of the REM Council Undermines Democratic Principles
The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) platform today once again expresses concern over the undemocratic process by which the National Assembly conducted the latest election of members to the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM), a key media regulator in Serbia.
After a delay of more than a year, the National Assembly appointed eight members of the REM Council last week, including four candidates who are considered independent by media experts. However, it failed to approve a ninth candidate who would represent national minorities, as the ruling majority abstained, which resulted in criticism for obstruction and led to the resignation of four elected members.
Our organizations warn the European Union that the deliberate exclusion of representatives from national minority councils, which followed non-transparent adjustments to the criteria and procedures for appointments, represents yet another attempt by the ruling majority to maintain governmental influence over this body and block democratic reform of the media ecosystem.
The recent vote violates Article 12 of the Law on Electronic Media, undermines the right of minority communities to legitimate representation in the REM Council, and further erodes public trust in the independence of the regulator.
MFRR partners emphasize that this election follows two previous processes that favored pro-government candidates, which we have previously criticized as undermining the essence of the reforms required by the EU. This latest vote repeats that unsatisfactory process and represents yet another example of an entrenched strategy of control over media and regulatory bodies.
In light of the recent resignations of elected members, MFRR emphasizes to the EU that the only acceptable outcome is the lawful and complete appointment of the REM Council, with independent members and a legitimate representative of minorities. Without this, the regulator will lack credibility and will be unable to fulfill its role in protecting media pluralism and media ethics.
European standards defined by the newly adopted Media Freedom Act in Europe (EMFA) are clear: national media regulatory bodies must be legally, functionally, and financially independent, protected from political influence and pressure, and appointed through fair, transparent, and meritocratic procedures. This latest process again violates those rules.
Therefore, the MFRR consortium calls on the international community and institutions such as the OSCE and the European Union to refrain from legitimizing this outcome. We emphasize that any assessment of Serbia's progress in the area of media freedoms must be contingent upon the complete, lawful, and transparent appointment of the REM Council.
Broader perspectives indicate that Serbia continues to be in a period of deep media freedom crisis and has seen significant regression in media and expression freedoms over the past year, which has been well recognized by the European Commission in the latest EU Enlargement Package.
In the coming period, MFRR will closely monitor the response of the European Union and the European Commission to this concerning development and will continue to inform European institutions about all future events related to the REM Council.
Signatories:
International Press Institute (IPI)
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
ARTICLE 19 Europe
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT)
Source: EFJ, translation by NUNS
