06. 08. 2013

EU: UNTILL 2014 STATE TO WITHDRAW FROM OWNERSHIP IN THE MEDIA

Belgrade, August 6, 2013 (Nase novine) - Despite the urgent recommendations from Europe, the Serbian government has no plan to privatize the media in its ownership. Representatives of journalists' associations believe that state is delaying this process because of the possibility to affect the editorial policy of the media.

Sasa Mirkovic from ANEM said that the privatization of the media needs to be finished until 2014, but the state is lobbying to start with the process not till December 1, 2013. Everything can be postponed until 2015, which could be a disaster for great number of media - he said.

Vukasin Obradovic from NUNS explained that the state withdrawal from the ownership in the media Government is prolonging in order to influence on the editorial policy of the media.

Media Strategy stipulates that the state must withdraw from the ownership in the media, but state have not yet passed a law that's supposed to regulate that issue, Petar Jeremic from UNS warned. He said that the local radio and TV stations are mostly owned by cities and municipalities and about 99 percent of the money they receive from the budget. On the other hand, there is no money from the state budget for the private media.