Committee for Culture and Information on Candidates for the REM Council: Who Passed and Who Was Rejected?

The Committee accepted the objection from the Association of Digital and Electronic Media (ADEM), meaning that Milanko Govedarica will not be on the list of candidates.

The Director of the organization Citizens' Initiatives, Maja Stojanović, stated that the candidate for a member of the REM Council, Rodoljub Šabić, who was the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection, had authority over electronic media, and one of the most important responsibilities was to monitor the work of electronic media and ensure that there were no data abuses.

She also emphasized that Šabić had received awards for enabling the media and journalists to obtain information that was very important for informing the public.

Maja Stojanović stated that Šabić has the professional qualifications as he is a lawyer.

“Šabić was at the head of an independent institution, and we believe he is one of the few people in Serbia who has proven he can work independently, regardless of who is in power,” she said.

The President of the Association of Digital and Electronic Media, Ružica Krdžić, believes that Šabić does not meet the requirements necessary for a candidate for a member of the REM Council.

She stated that Šabić has not gained any experience working in the media sphere but has spent 14 years as a commissioner, primarily dealing with data of public importance in the areas of finance and police procedures.

The Committee rejected the objections from Citizens' Initiatives related to the Center for Research of the Danube Region and the associations Euractiv and Research Center.

The Committee of the National Assembly of Serbia for Culture and Information accepted the objections from the proposers of candidates for members of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM) that journalists Jelka Jovanović and Bojan Bilbija cannot be candidates for regulators, as they have spent their careers in print media and do not have the required 10 years of experience in electronic media.

During the Committee meeting, the list of candidates Stevica Smederevac, Žarko Simović, and Gordana Predić was accepted as proposals from the Protector of Citizens, the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection, and the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality.

The objection regarding candidate Misala Pramenković concerning work experience was also approved.

The Committee then adopted the proposal that the candidates on the REM Council list representing the universities be Predrag Kajganić, Vanja Šibalić, Irina Milutinović, Milan Petković, and Alen Omerović.

The most discussion during the objections regarding the candidates from the association of electronic media publishers was about candidate Miloš Garić, whose role as an advisor to the Minister of Information was contested, as well as the fact that he has not terminated his TV production Garnets at the Agency for Business Registers, along with his appearances in media close to the authorities where he has spoken as an analyst.

The President of the National Assembly of Serbia, Ana Brnabić, who attended the Committee meeting, noted that the majority of candidates for the REM Council are public figures who have their political views.

If we were to say that at this moment we are considering this or that candidate, we would not have a single candidate that we would define as independent. Independent from whom, Brnabić asked.

The Committee accepted that the candidates for the REM Council in this category would be Miloš Garić, Jovana Vitez, and Tatjana Jordović Nikolić, who has withdrawn from the process and it is unclear whether she will return to the election procedure.

Source: Fonet