Serbia has been without the REM Council for 11 months.

Experts and former members of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) warn that the absence of a regulator affects not only the control of media content but also the legitimization of political power, while citizens and independent organizations remain without an effective mechanism to protect pluralism and freedom of information.

The mandate of the last composition of the Council of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) expired on November 4, 2024. Since that moment, REM has practically been without a regulatory Council.

The spokesperson for the REM Council, Olivera Zekić, briefly told Danas that she does not know when a new REM Council might be elected and had no comment on the fact that Serbia has been without a Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media for 11 months, adding, “don’t be a stubborn donkey by the green grass.”

In the first months of 2025, a competition was announced for the selection of new members of the REM Council, but the process was quickly hit by criticism.

There were issues with transparency, doubts about the legality of the proposers and the procedure itself, and a significant number of candidates withdrew their applications, citing that the competitions violated the Law on Electronic Media.

Even after the announcement of a new competition, the situation did not significantly improve. During May and June, candidates massively withdrew their applications due to procedural shortcomings, and students formed a Working Unit for REM to propose a plan for selecting new candidates. Nevertheless, by July 2025, the process became blocked, and the election of a new REM Council had still not been realized.

“The authorities don’t care about the fact that there is no REM; it’s actually ideal for them, and they could continue like this for years. However, there is a big but – since they need to bribe their electoral body, and the money has dried up for all those who colluded with the state on various so-called investment projects like Expo, the national stadium, and their counter-protesters, the authorities need money from the EU,” says Perica Gunjić, editor of the Cenzolovka portal, to Danas.

Gunjić adds that because of this, the situation for the authorities is “somewhat inconvenient” since the European Union conditions part of its financial resources on progress in certain areas, including the election of the REM Council.

“So they continue to push this narrative, even presenting Ana Brnabić to diplomats in her, specifically for foreigners, polite version, to convince them that they actually love NGOs that they do not control, which the entire process depends on,” says Gunjić.

In his opinion, the authorities are trying to appoint an allegedly independent REM that they could fully control in practice, but that process is complicated because diplomats are no longer willing to turn a blind eye, forcing the authorities to find a way for the election to pass muster with the ambassadors of EU member states.

“Now there are various combinations within the Council, which has 9 members – whether it will be 6:3 for SNS candidates or 5:4, which is too tight for the authorities. It’s a living hell. The story about independent experts leading such an important body under this government will never materialize; that should be clear to everyone now,” states Gunjić.

Zoran Gavrilović, director of the Bureau for Social Research (BIRODI), says that even when the REM Council existed, it did not perform its duties.

“There was no accountability or regulation by REM even when it was operating at full capacity. Now, the media that, as Vučić said, are funded from the state coffers, are aware that there is no accountability and can operate propaganda for the government without hindrance, while targeting social actors on the other side,” explains Gavrilović.

He adds that BIRODI has established a media monitoring mechanism due to the inadequate functioning of REM and is creating an archive of media reporting that will be useful when a proper regulatory body is formed.

“This way, we will be able to provide the archive to REM and conduct a review primarily of the electronic media that had permission for national coverage up to that point,” notes Gavrilović.

He emphasizes that the current state is practically lawless regarding media regulation in Serbia.

“The point is not just to get REM; the question is what kind of REM we will get. The election of members of the REM Council means nothing if they do not perform their duties,” says Gavrilović.

Gavrilović points out that media with national coverage would likely be shut down for non-compliance with the law if REM were doing its job.

“It is forgotten here that one television station was shut down because it was, according to the then-REM’s opinion, in the service of one political party and one capitalist, and that was BK television. It is not true that REM cannot do its job; it can work whenever it wants. The REM that existed was a pillar of the legalization and legitimization of maintaining Aleksandar Vučić's personal power,” says Gavrilović.

Judita Popović, a former member of the REM Council, assesses that a functional regulatory body would only exist in a rule of law.

“Because if we had a rule of law, then we would have a regulator, we would have the REM Council, and the REM Council would perform its duties as provided by law and the Constitution,” says Popović, adding that the absence of law enforcement explains why REM does not function, but even hate speech is not adequately regulated.

She believes that the authorities benefit from this state of affairs in the realm of electronic media. “I think the authorities really benefit from this situation in the media domain, especially electronic media, and I see nothing strange in it, nor any reason for alarm,” states Popović.

According to her, hate speech is dominant because it allows further social division and conflicts that the regime easily channels and manipulates in its own interest.

“If you ask me who that is – of course, it’s the regime,” says Popović.

She emphasizes that media function as a lever of power. “Of course, this will continue, and it is clear that the media are a lever of power, a mechanism based on which they can manipulate very easily. You do not have freedom of opinion if you do not receive the right information. As long as public services do not operate in the public interest, and private media are exclusively controlled by the regime, changes cannot be expected,” says Popović.

Popović does not expect a swift change in the formation of a new REM Council.

“I do not expect a quick change in that domain because political changes are needed to get to a situation where a new REM Council can be elected. And for us to have political changes, we must first have a rule of law,” she states, recalling that she personally tried for more than three years to improve the work of the Council, but among the nine members, it was a “truly illusory task.”

**Source: [Danas](https://www.danas.rs/vesti/drustvo/ne-lipsi-magarce-kraj-zelene-trave-srbija-vec-11-meseci-bez-saveta-rem-a-hocemo-li-ga-docekati/)**