United Group (UG) has a plan to ensure a sustainable future for its media companies while preserving their editorial independence, UG CEO Stan Miller stated in response to MEP Sandro Gozi, who had written to him earlier this week expressing concern over reports that the group’s news outlets might be sold to an investment fund allegedly close to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
In the letter, which was forwarded to Nova.rs from United Group on Thursday evening, Miller began by thanking Gozi for reaching out.
Miller expressed regret that Gozi’s letter had been shared with the media before he had a chance to respond. He noted that the media reports Gozi referred to were based on leaked, unsigned documents and said that the company was not in a position to comment on such media speculation. He further asserted that United Group has remained consistent in its stance on media freedoms.
Miller pointed out that UG media outlets play a significant role in preserving independent journalism and media pluralism in Serbia. He explained that when the new United Group management took office in June 2025, they developed a plan to ensure a sustainable future for these outlets with their editorial independence intact. To this end, they commissioned two leading consulting firms to help them find a way forward. He added that in February, a new governance framework was introduced along with the launch of the Adria News Network (ANN), which features an entirely independent board and an Editorial Council composed of experienced international media professionals.
The letter also includes an extensive list of UG press releases and “direct correspondence” with political and legal entities, such as the European Parliament, the European Commission, ALIA (the Luxembourg counterpart to Serbia’s media regulator, REM), the European Federation of Journalists, and Reporters Without Borders, etc.
Miller concluded that this demonstrated their ongoing commitment to media independence and the steps taken over the past year to strengthen it.
What did Gozi write?
Gozi, the current Secretary General of the European Democratic Party and an MEP, sent a letter on Wednesday to United Group CEO Stan Miller requesting clarification on media reports regarding the sale of the group’s media assets.
The letter, which Nova.rs has reviewed, cited the potential sale of N1, Nova, and other “free media” in Serbia as the reason for his inquiry.
While stating that he fully respects the right of any company to make its own business decisions, Gozi noted that in this particular case, such a decision would inevitably have consequences far beyond the business sphere.
The MEP wrote that N1 and other UG media outlets are recognized as some of the last strongholds of free and independent journalism in Serbia. He warned that in such a sensitive media system, any transfer of ownership to entities perceived as close to the Serbian authorities would cause great concern across Europe.
He added that such a development would be viewed as a significant step backward for media pluralism.
As Nova.rs noted, Miller himself came to public attention in Serbia last August after the portal Raskrikavanje released an audio recording of his phone conversation with Vladimir Lucic, the CEO of Telekom Srbija. In the recording, they openly discussed the announced dismissal of then-United Media director Aleksandra Subotic, as well as alleged agreements President Vucic had reached on the matter with Nikos Stathopoulos of BC Partners, UG’s majority owner.
What else did Raskrikavanje report?
Gozi’s letter to Miller follows a report by Raskrikavanje last week claiming that United Group plans to sell its media business to a Luxembourg-based fund called “European Future Media Investments,” backed by the Portuguese investment group Alpac Capital.
According to the final, as-yet-unsigned version of the contract obtained by Raskrikavanje, the fund would pay 30 million euro for several television stations and media outlets in the region, including N1, Nova S, and outlets in Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
According to European media reports, Alpac Capital’s purchase of the Euronews license was facilitated with significant help from companies close to Hungary’s former Prime Minister Viktor Orban. One of his associates involved in that deal is currently facing criminal investigations in Hungary.
What did ANN say?
Adria News Network (ANN), the United Group entity that manages the newsrooms of Nova, N1, Danas, and Radar, said in a press release that it would not comment on sale speculation until any potential negotiations are concluded and confirmed that its newsrooms continue to operate as normal.
Source: N1
