Negative assessments and remarks: What is stated in the EU report on Serbia's progress regarding the media?

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What else is written in the section dedicated to the media in Serbia:

Intimidation of Journalists

Cases of threats, intimidation, hate speech, and violence against journalists have increased, and authorities do not consistently condemn them. Female journalists and local reporters are particularly vulnerable to such attacks.

Repeated statements by high-ranking officials regarding the work of journalists and media workers have a chilling effect and suppress freedom of expression. Several foreign journalists, including those from EU member states, have been prevented from entering Serbia prior to protests. Personal data of journalists have been published, including by some media outlets.

The number of attacks and pressures increased during 2025 compared to the same period the previous year, including physical assaults, some of which occurred in the presence of police who did not react. There were also reported cases of police force being used against journalists, preventing media workers from reporting on protests, as well as the detention of journalists.

The actions initiated by the prosecutors during this period resulted in only one conviction and one deferred prosecution. There has been no progress in prosecuting three murders of journalists, and one of these criminal cases has expired. SLAPP lawsuits increasingly hinder the work of investigative media. Serbia must align its regulations with the Anti-SLAPP Directive and Recommendation, including the early dismissal of obviously unfounded lawsuits and ensuring legal remedies against the abuse of legal proceedings.

Legislative Framework

In June 2025, Serbia amended its media legislation to further align it with the EU acquis and European standards. At the end of the process, very brief consultations were held with media associations, but the entire procedure was non-transparent, non-inclusive, and did not respect the legal obligation to conduct a public discussion, except in the case of the Public Media Services Law.

Following the amendments in 2023 that allowed state-owned enterprises to own media, additional protective measures were introduced to preserve media pluralism and editorial independence; however, their practical implementation remains to be monitored. In the meantime, television channels considered critical of the authorities were removed in April 2025 from one cable platform after that platform was acquired by Telekom Srbija, in which the state is the majority owner.

Serbia has not adopted a new action plan for the media strategy since the previous one expired at the end of 2022. The National Assembly did not elect a new Council of the Regulatory Body REM by the legal deadline of November 4, 2024, leaving Serbia without a decision-making body for regulation since then. The Assembly committee only announced a call for members on November 25, 2024. Seven out of 18 candidates withdrew their applications citing irregularities that the committee did not address, resulting in the call being canceled. Several candidates and proposers initially withdrew during the repeated call. However, with international mediation, the process continued and progressed to the stage of a narrower selection of candidates.

Implementation of Laws and Institutions

The media laws from 2023 are applied inconsistently. REM has not fully executed its mandate, and serious doubts about its actual independence remain. In 2024, REM issued only five measures and did not sufficiently sanction frequent violations of rules, such as broadcasting content directed against journalists and civil society on national frequencies, or reality programs prone to violence. In November 2024, the parliamentary committee for culture and information approved a new statute for the REM Council, which contains provisions on the confidentiality of certain documents, thereby undermining transparency.

REM published the full report on media monitoring of the elections only 14 months after the elections in December 2023. The call for the fifth national frequency, initiated in 2022, remains unresolved without a justified reason for the delay.

Serbia has not taken measures to combat foreign manipulation of information and interference. On the contrary, REM has granted a license to the television RT (Russia Today) to launch a program in Serbian on the Telekom cable system, where the state is the majority owner.

As much as 41% of complaints from journalists to the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance related to "institutional silence" of government bodies. Access to sensitive information was denied in cases concerning environmental damage, capital projects, public resource spending, or co-financing of media projects.

Public Media Service

In June 2025, Serbia adopted amendments to the Law on Public Media Services to strengthen the institutional and functional independence of public services. It remains to be seen whether the current subscription is sufficient to finance public services or whether they will still require additional state funding, which would prevent complete financial independence.

Concerns about editorial autonomy, limited pluralism, and biased reporting in favor of the authorities have increased. During 2024, 94% of the airtime in central news programs of RTS was allocated to the ruling majority, compared to only 6% for opposition parties.

In March and April 2025, students and citizens blocked the main buildings of RTS and RTV demanding more objective reporting on protests. The two-week blockade of RTS resulted in the re-announcement of the call for the election of the REM Council. Permanent positions for the main editors of RTV (which have been filled by acting officials since 2023) and the programming director remain unfilled.

Economic Factors

Political and economic influence on the media, including influence on editorial policy, represents a serious concern. In August 2025, a phone conversation between the director of a private media group and Telekom Srbija regarding staff changes in that media group was leaked, raising concerns about political pressure on media critical of the government.

A large number of registered media and a limited advertising market create economic insecurity, especially at the local level, causing media to often depend on public co-financing.

In January 2025, Serbia established a Unified Information System on Public Co-Financing of Media. The Ministry of Information and Telecommunications increased the budget for co-financing at the national level for the year 2025. However, new calls published in 2024 significantly reduced funding in several municipalities, and the remaining funds were allocated through less transparent processes, such as procurement of informational services and advertising.

Some media that violated the Journalist Code continued to receive public funds, even though the Law on Public Information and Media stipulates that adherence to ethical standards should be a criterion for funds allocation. Media associations reported irregularities and a lack of transparency. Information on other sources of public funding, including advertising, must still be more transparent and comprehensive in the media registry. The registry does not reveal the actual ownership of all media, as many owners are presented as subsidiary companies. Supervisory controls of the registry have not yet begun.

Professional Organizations and Working Conditions

The Press Council continued to effectively monitor adherence to the Journalist Code of Serbia in printed media. In 2024, the Council received 88 complaints (125 in 2023) and nearly all cases identified violations of multiple points of the Code.

In February 2025, as part of a broader coalition of civil society organizations, several media associations announced their withdrawal from all working groups of the Government and the standing working group for journalist safety, claiming that the authorities do not respect basic democratic standards and the principles of the rule of law.

Journalists and other media workers operate under difficult conditions, often without adequate contracts and with unstable financing. Some dismissals of journalists, including at the public service, have reportedly been carried out as retaliation for their personal social and political views.

The full EU report on Serbia is available at this link.