News

The Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) has submitted comments to the Committee for Culture and Information regarding the Draft Report for the seven authorized proposers of members of the REM Council, in which it stated that six of the proposed candidates do not meet the requirements for election as members of the REM Council.

The independence of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM) is a cause for serious concern, and the delays and deficiencies in the process of selecting a new REM Council undermine public trust in that process, the European Commission stated in its annual report on the rule of law in Serbia. The report, published today, indicates that Serbia has "continued constitutional reforms to strengthen the independence of the judiciary," but that political pressure on judges and prosecutors remains high. In the area of fighting corruption, the EC points to a lack of investigations, final judgments, and asset seizures in cases of high-level corruption. Regarding media laws, the Commission's report notes that Serbia adopted new media laws in June, continuing its alignment with the EU, but assesses that this was done in a non-transparent manner, without public debate.

While the police on the streets are arresting and beating students and citizens who are demanding elections, in the Assembly, the authorities are attempting to trade the election of the REM Council on a "one for you, one for me" principle, with an unprecedented outpouring of tolerance among the parliamentary benches, in order to maintain control over this body. Ultimately, the curtains of this performance have fallen.

The Committee of the Assembly of Serbia for Culture and Information has today approved the proposal for the list of candidates for members of the Council of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM), which was put forward by associations aimed at promoting freedom of expression. The candidates are Antonela Riha, Jasmina Ninković, and Rodoljub Šabić.

The Committee of the National Assembly of Serbia for Culture and Information agrees with the Opinion of the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications regarding the application of the provisions of the Law on Electronic Media in the process of proposing candidates for members of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM). This was decided today at the Committee meeting without the presence of opposition MPs.

Opposition MPs assessed today, at a meeting of the Serbian Assembly's Committee for Culture and Information, that the process for selecting members of the REM (Regulatory Body for Electronic Media) Council has "failed," stating that representatives of the government are trying to impose rules that are contrary to the law - as they are only interested in having media control.

The outcome could have been completely different. The government could have nominated associations and candidates who meet the precisely written legal requirements for the election of members of the REM Council. With the majority they hold in the parliamentary Culture and Information Committee, and subsequently in the National Assembly of Serbia, they could have selected a new Council, in which they would also have a majority of a total of nine members. Under pressure from students, the public, and even the European Union, they could have "allowed" a few independent candidates and thus concluded a process that has been delayed for months and which already experienced a debacle earlier this year due to its illegality. They could have, but they did not.

At today's meeting of the Parliamentary Committee for Culture and Information, the opinions of the relevant ministries regarding the implementation of the legal provisions in the process of proposing candidates for members of the Council of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media were discussed, as well as a proposal to postpone the Public Hearing on the topic "Discussion with Candidates for Members of the Council of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media," the Committee stated in a press release.

Journalist Jelka Jovanović says that one should not be naïve and believe that the previous call for members of the REM Council was withdrawn due to students and the blockade of Radio-Television of Serbia, and that this was merely an excuse. For her, the solution lies in withdrawing the current call and announcing a new one.