The authorities reduce the REM to an empty shell in order to maintain continuity of control over the media space.

REM is currently a "shell emptied of essence," which can be filled if the appropriate Council of that body is elected, or it will otherwise remain a missed opportunity in the local media space, claims Saša Mirković from ANEM.

According to him, this indicates that there is no political will to implement what is very well articulated in the Law on Electronic Media, which was adopted two years ago and which precisely detailed the process of electing members of the REM Council and its operational procedures.

"I have always said that it would be a cultural shock if you woke up one morning and realized that you didn't have some television stations on air that are literally poisoners," said Mirković.

He added that REM has never had such power, nor has it shown the desire to take such radical measures to regulate the airwaves, and there have been many reasons for such a decision until now.

Speaking about the violation of the Law on Electronic Media in the last election of members for the REM Council, Mirković pointed to the move by Deputy Speaker of Parliament Elvira Kovač, who requested that the ruling coalition not vote for a candidate from the category of national minorities.

"The law cannot be treated like a Swedish table," pointed out Mirković. According to him, comparisons of local media institutions with their counterparts around the world are always to Serbia's detriment.

He illustrated this by comparing RTS and BBC, and the fact that at this moment, without the REM Council, the RTS Statute cannot be amended and a new general director of that organization cannot be appointed.

"It's all a system of connected vessels that must be resolved fundamentally and in a package," notes Mirković.

Miljuš: The process of electing members of the REM Council - a fraud from the start

MP from the Party of Freedom and Justice and member of the Culture and Information Committee Branko Miljuš stated that the process of electing members of the REM Council has been a fraud from the very beginning, and it has been confirmed that there is no political will from the regime to elect any REM, let alone an independent one.

Miljuš also added that it is no secret that the Speaker of Parliament Ana Brnabić was running from embassies to the civil sector trying to make some sort of agreement to unblock that process.

According to him, it is very important that the civil sector showed resilience to this and that everyone together defended the process.

Miljuš stated that the entire idea is for REM to be blocked, not to do its job, and as such, it serves no purpose.

Šabić: The government is solely responsible for the state of REM

One of the elected members of the REM Council Rodoljub Šabić stated that the government is solely responsible for the condition of that body in the previous period, noting that it is the one that should ensure the application of the law in any normal country.

Commenting on why the REM process is slowing down, Šabić said that "they" (the government) only need a REM like it was - a transmission of government interests, which will poison the already toxic atmosphere in the media scene.

He stated that they have obligations to foreign partners, that they have written this into their reform agenda, and added that they even have a financial incentive, as a large sum of euros would come into their hands if they constitute REM.

"So, it's a paradox. On one hand, they would prefer that it doesn't exist. On the other hand, they would receive a number of points if they appoint it," assessed Šabić.

Speaking about the resignations of REM members, including his own, Šabić said that they were only announced and that they have been prepared.

"If these people think they can persist with the manipulation they executed by not voting for any candidate, those resignations are there and they will be submitted," said Šabić.

Stojanović: The EU and OSCE have not recognized the importance of the ninth member of REM

Speaking about the reactions of the EU and the OSCE Mission, Executive Director of Civil Initiatives Maja Stojanović stated that they had different roles in the REM election process, possibly more from the OSCE, as they took on the role of interpreting various legal procedures in segments of the process that lasted more than a year.

"That reaction after the election seemed premature to me, and they simply supported what we already have - eight elected candidates and did not recognize the importance of that ninth member, that is, the formation of the entire REM," said Maja Stojanović.

She assessed that the premature reaction of the OSCE Mission and the EU, and the congratulations on the election of eight members of the Council, shows how important it was for them to have the Council elected.

"One thing is due to the rule of law, media image - it seems to me that was important, but it was even more important to them that the remaining countries in the Balkans enter the European Union," noted Maja Stojanović.

When asked about the pressures from the government during the REM elections, she stated that it was most visible in the case of organizations dealing with children's rights.

"I believe that we, as a society in Serbia, have won this battle for an independent REM. We had five independent candidates, and what the government ultimately had to do was make a political decision. But it is certainly very clear, I think to the entire society in Serbia and the EU, that the state at that moment decided that there would be no REM if it is not independent," said Maja Stojanović.

She pointed out that in a week or so it will be known whether the government has decided to elect an independent REM and thereby make progress in Cluster 3, in the reform agenda and the electoral reform process, or whether the control of the media scene and media in Serbia is much more important than the path to Europe.

Source: Fonet