The state of Serbia and EURONEWS are violating the law

Civic Initiatives warn the newly elected members of the European Parliament, as well as relevant institutions in Serbia, that Euronews’s entry into the Serbian media market is a flagrant violation of the domestic legislation governing this area. It is also a departure from the strategic commitment of the state of Serbia, presented in two versions of the media strategy, which involves the withdrawal of the state from the ownership structure of the media.

As Telekom Serbia is owned by the Republic of Serbia, and Euronews receives a third of its annual revenue from the EU budget, this process is extremely important for both citizens of Serbia and EU citizens.

According to the Law on Public Information and Media, adopted in 2014 as part of the adoption of a set of media laws, welcomed by the international community as well as the domestic media and professional public, state-owned enterprises are not allowed to own or participate in the ownership structure of the media.

This practice is also in contradiction with the European Commission’s assessments and recommendations contained in the 2016 and 2018 Progress Reports, which insist on consistent law enforcement and strengthening the regulatory framework governing the transparency of ownership and the illicit influence of the state on the media market.

Despite declarative statements by government officials that the implementation of existing laws is necessary, as well as the improvement of media legislation defined in the new draft Strategy for the Development of the Public Information System until 2023, the state-owned Telekom Serbia’s move indicates the government’s tendencies to strengthen its influence and control in the media sphere.

We urge all relevant actors to stop this process or to call for its halt in accordance with their authority. The long-standing struggle of independent journalists, as well as the domestic and international media scene to stop media control in Serbia, will be significantly undermined by the announcement of Euronews opening in Serbia in this way.