14. 03. 2013

5 minutes with Gordana Predic

Belgrade, March 14, 2013. (Novi Magazin) - Set of media laws will be presented to the members of Parliament by the end of April, says State Secretary in the Ministry of Culture and Media, Gordana Predic.

Public debate on the Draft Law on Public Information will be finished on March 22, after which the working group will consider objections.

According to procedure, the text is forwarded to competent ministries for review, and then to the Government, which sends it to the Assembly as a proposal law. "Draft Law on Electronic Media will be completed by the end of March. Public debate and the Ministries' consent will be completed in mid-April, after which the parliamentary procedure would ensue", said Gordana Predic.

"I'm certain that the working groups will accept all comments that are in line with European regulations, standards and best practices and that could improve the laws."

Journalists' associations object to the scope and excessive number of rules of the Draft, and also find that the Draft enables owners to directly influence the editorial policy.

The basic principles included the commitment that free flow of information should not be jeopardized by pressure, threats, blackmailing editors, journalists or sources of information. All democratic states strive to reach ideal of absolutely independent media but you will agree with the fact that the financier will try to influence the editorial policy, regardless of whether media is owned by the state or other parties. Both types of influence are illegal and both journalists and citizens must fight against it. In this respect, proposed solutions are compatible with European legislation, primarily through the transparency of ownership, state aid and project funding.

The interview with Gordana Predic is available in Serbian here.