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26. 07. 2014

New laws will bring Serbian media closer to EU standards

Belgrade, 26.7.2014 (Tanjug) - Head of the EU Delegation in Serbia Michael Davenport stated that the forthcoming adoption of the set of media laws would constitute a major step forward in the adjustment of legislations in the area to relevant European standards.

The EU wishes the media strategy to be implemented and media laws are the most important tool for it, Davenport told Tanjug, adding that he believes the talks concerning this matter have been conducted for a good while now and the European Commission has commented on several drafts. Davenport said that he is under the impression that the government intends to adopt the set of laws as soon as possible.

The set of media laws is the result of the wide public debate conducted over two years with the continuous support of OSCE and EU member countries, he said.

The bilateral screening on Chapter 10 which covers the media has been formally completed and the European Commission now needs to prepare the report and present it just like it did with all chapters, Davenport said.

Deputy secretary of the Serbian negotiating team in the EU accession talks Adriana Minovic said that the European Commission should publish the report on the screening for Chapter 10 in September or October the latest, when it will be known just how well the media sphere in Serbia has been adjusted to European standards.

Director of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Office in Belgrade Henri Bohnet said that the EU and Berlin are very interested in the media situation in Serbia and the relations between politicians, businessmen and the media.

Just like in many other countries, the situation is difficult due to economic pressures and lack of a comprehensive framework, Bohnet told Tanjug, adding that this is the reason why Berlin is closely monitoring the ways in which the new media laws would help clarify ownership structure in the media, regulatory policy and professionalisation, Bohnet told Tanjug.

The screening on Chapter 10 was completed in Brussels on July 11.

Head of the Serbian team for EU accession talks Tanja Miscevic said that this chapter is important not only for the media but also for all other electronic communication means.

The chapter also covers e-trade, electronic access to healthcare services and electronic document signing, she said.

The screening is aimed at thorough monitoring of the degree of adjustment between the regulations in candidate countries to European standards and it is a mandatory part of the preparations for opening the negotiating chapters in the EU accession talks.