SafeJournalists and MFRR: The selection of members for the media regulatory body in Serbia has once again undermined the reforms demanded by the EU.

The process of appointing new members to the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM), the most important media regulator in Serbia, has once again been conducted in a non-transparent and discriminatory manner, with a clear violation of legislation in Serbia, undermining the democratic reforms in the media sector required by the European Union, stated today the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and the SafeJournalists network.

Last week, candidates and organizations proposing members, which are independent of the government, withdrew from the process of appointing new members to the REM Council.

Independent groups pointed out numerous serious violations of legal provisions and manipulation of the electoral process by the majority in the Culture and Information Committee of the National Assembly. Many of the proposed candidates did not meet professional criteria, while numerous organizations entitled to propose candidates showed blatant bias in favor of the authorities or were established under questionable circumstances.

Attempts to address these irregularities were rejected by the majority in the Committee earlier this month after they voted against the opposition's proposal to consider each application and organization proposing candidates individually, in order to clarify serious allegations of bias or failure to meet criteria.

Our organizations conclude that the process of electing members of the REM Council has again been conducted in a non-transparent, dependent, and arbitrary manner, favoring candidates and organizations aligned with the ruling administration, thus violating Article 10 of the Law on Electronic Media. This undermines the genuine democratic reforms required by the European Union.

Our organizations express additional concern that this is the second time independent candidates have withdrawn from the process, after the initial procedure was halted in January 2025 due to numerous complaints about the same procedural irregularities.

The result is that the new selection of the REM Council—a key measure mandated by the EU, which is also foreseen in the EU reports on rule of law and enlargement—is once again stalled, thereby delaying broader reforms of the media ecosystem in Serbia.

The MFRR, which recently conducted a media freedom mission in Serbia, has repeatedly emphasized the urgent need for reforming REM, which has long been filled with loyalists of the authorities and undermined by political influence, leading to an unregulated media ecosystem rife with propaganda and disinformation.

As highlighted in our recent mission report, REM has long represented a key element of media capture in Serbia. Under the control of government loyalists, the previous composition of the REM Council, which is responsible for issuing broadcasting licenses for television and radio programs, made controversial decisions that undermined media pluralism and favored pro-government broadcasters at the expense of independent media outlets.

REM has failed repeatedly to fulfill its mandate. It has not ensured fair and balanced reporting during election campaigns; it has not reacted to violent rhetoric and hate speech in tabloid media, nor to the spread of pro-Russian disinformation, and it has not sanctioned targeted smear campaigns conducted by certain tabloids against critics of the ruling party and its leadership.

As the REM Council is also responsible for appointing the governing boards of the Public Media Service Radio-Television of Serbia (RTS), the appointment of individuals close to the authorities to the Council remains crucial for maintaining the overall control of the Serbian Progressive Party over the media space in the country and the broader public discourse.

If it wishes to be perceived as credible, legitimate, and lawful by the European Union, the process of electing the REM Council must be conducted in a fair, transparent, and democratic manner, without irregularities, and must result in a pluralistic and professional body capable of executing its mandate without obstruction. This must be accompanied by a detailed assessment of conflicts of interest, whereby any candidate or organization that shows obvious bias must be disqualified.

It is extremely concerning that these democratic processes and rule of law requirements have been deliberately ignored by the Culture and Information Committee during this electoral process.

Furthermore, the EU should clearly recognize the insincere and compromised approach that Serbian authorities have shown in implementing the REM reforms mandated by the EU. The legally unsustainable and politically motivated manner in which the recent electoral process was conducted should mean that progress in media reform under Chapter 23 of the EU accession process remains frozen until genuine democratic reforms are implemented.

Finally, we warn that the situation within the REM Council reflects a broader state of emergency regarding media freedom and journalism in Serbia, where attacks on independent journalism in recent months have reached levels unseen for decades, further deepening the long-standing crisis of media freedom that requires urgent attention and vigilance from the European Union.

Signatories:

Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR)  

International Press Institute (IPI)

European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)

Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT)

Free Press Unlimited (FPU)

European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)

ARTICLE 19 Europe

SafeJournalists Network  

Association of Journalists of Kosovo 

Association of Journalists of Macedonia

Association of BH Journalists 

Croatian Journalists' Society 

Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia 

Media Union of Montenegro

For the complete MFRR mission report on media freedom in Serbia – May 2025, see here.

Source: NUNS