All high level-officials must refrain from verbal attacks and threats against journalists, the European Commission (EC) told N1 in response to Serbian Information Minister Boris Bratina’s statements that N1, Nova, and Radio Free Europe “should not exist on the airwaves within the country’s territory.”
“The position of the Commission is very clear: independent media are a public watchdog, holding those in power accountable. They are a key pillar of European democracy. Journalists should be able to work freely everywhere in the European Union – this lies at heart of media freedom,” a Commission spokesperson said in response to N1’s question about the statements from Minister Bratina.
The European Commission emphasized that respect for media freedoms is expected from all European Union candidate countries, including Serbia.
“All high level-officials must refrain from verbal attacks and threats against journalists.
Commission’s position on media freedom in Serbia is clearly outlined in our latest Enlargement report on Serbia. It finds that although Serbia amended its media legislation to align further with the EU acquis and European standards, there was backsliding during the reporting period in these areas,” the EC said.
Minister Bratina said on Wednesday that cross-border collaborations and media broadcasting cross-border programs in Serbia, among which are N1 and Nova, “should not exist in the airwaves within the country’s territory.”
“Cross-border collaborations are protected by various regulations, they are hidden in such a way that the law can’t touch them, which is why we are calling for further changes to the law, because they should not exist on our airwaves,” Bratina told the pro-regime Pink TV.
Source: N1
