The General Assembly of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), meeting in Ankara on 18–19 June 2026, today adopted an emergency resolution on Serbia submitted by the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS) and the Independent Trade Union of Culture, Arts and Media “Nezavisnost”.
Through the adopted resolution, the EFJ expresses grave concern over the escalation of attacks, threats, pressure, criminal violence, institutional failures, and the increasingly pronounced capture of the media environment in Serbia. The document notes that since 2024, the EFJ, in cooperation with the SafeJournalists Network, has verified and documented 389 violations of media freedom affecting 643 media professionals in Serbia through the Mapping Media Freedom platform.
The resolution specifically highlights physical attacks, death threats, violent intimidation, unlawful digital surveillance, smear campaigns, and cases in which the police failed to protect journalists or directly endangered them while they were reporting. The EFJ also warned of a documented pattern of organized intimidation of journalists on assignment, including attacks and obstruction carried out by individuals with previous criminal convictions, including persons convicted of serious criminal offenses.
During the presentation of the resolution, it was emphasized that the situation in Serbia can no longer be described as a series of isolated incidents but rather as a systemic pattern of pressure and impunity. Examples cited include the recent attack on Veran Matić while he was filming a gathering in front of the National Assembly, the destruction of equipment belonging to an N1 television crew at nearly the same location, and attacks on journalist Vuk Cvijić while reporting. Particular concern was expressed over incidents that occurred in the presence of police officers without an adequate response, as well as cases in which police officers themselves were directly involved in endangering journalists.
Through the adopted resolution, the EFJ strongly condemns the increasing number of attacks, threats, smear campaigns, criminal violence, and institutional failures directed against journalists and media workers in Serbia. The EFJ calls on the competent authorities, particularly the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Ministry of the Interior, to investigate all attacks and threats promptly, independently, and effectively, to ensure the protection of journalists on assignment, and to regularly publish information on the handling of such cases.
The EFJ also calls on the Government of Serbia to stop smear campaigns and verbal attacks by public officials against journalists, to publicly condemn hate speech and threats, and to ensure that state-owned enterprises, public institutions, and regulatory bodies are not used as instruments of political or economic pressure against independent media.
A separate section of the resolution addresses the need for the European Union to apply its standards and conditions consistently in Serbia’s EU accession process. The EFJ calls on the EU to make concrete and verifiable progress in the areas of media freedom, journalists’ safety, media pluralism, labour rights, ownership transparency, and regulatory independence a prerequisite for Serbia’s further advancement in the accession process.
The resolution also expresses concern over the announced sale of Adria News Network, given the broader context of media capture, opaque ownership structures, political influence, and economic pressure on independent and professional media in Serbia and the region. The EFJ stresses that any change in media ownership must be transparent and accompanied by binding guarantees for editorial independence, labour rights, trade union freedoms, and the public interest.
NUNS considers the adoption of this resolution an important expression of European solidarity with professional and independent journalists, media workers, newsrooms, and journalists’ organisations in Serbia. At the same time, the document sends a clear message to domestic institutions and international partners that journalists’ safety, media freedom, and the protection of the public interest cannot be treated as merely formal issues, but rather as essential conditions for a democratic society and the rule of law.
NUNS President Željko Bodrožić stated:
“The numbers speak for themselves. But behind every number is a journalist who has been assaulted, threatened, or silenced. The EU must stop accepting formal compliance and begin demanding real change.”
The EFJ General Assembly also expressed its full solidarity with professional and independent journalists, media workers, and their organisations in Serbia.
The full text of the resolution can be downloaded here.
