Serbia’s Information and Telecommunications Minister Boris Bratina called Alpac Capital owner Pedro Vargas David to register N1 Belgrade and Nova S TV with Serbia’s electronic media regulator REM after the company completes its takeover of the outlets.
In an open letter addressed to Vargas, Bratina said that amendments to Serbian legislation adopted in November 2023, which incorporated provisions of the EU’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive, mean broadcasters formally based in an EU member state can be considered established in Serbia when editorial decisions are made in Serbia and a majority of employees involved in programme production are paid in Serbia.
He said N1 Belgrade and Nova S meet those criteria and should come under the authority of the REM.
The minister criticized their reliance on the European Convention on Transfrontier Television and called on Vargas to change that practice following the takeover.
Bratina said the Luxembourg audiovisual regulator ALIA shielded N1 and Nova S from regulatory responsibility in Serbia. He also accused the stations of avoiding taxes and fees paid by other Serbian media.
Bratina accused N1 and Nova S of having become major political players within Serbia’s opposition and anti-government sphere. He alleged that they had given preferential treatment to opposition figures while treating government representatives unfairly.
The REM is currently unable to take formal regulatory decisions because its Council (the governing body) is not complete.
The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS) criticised Bratina’s letter. Its secretary general, Tamara Filipovic Stevanovic, described it as political pressure presented in legal language and warned that the minister’s rhetoric could signal future measures against the broadcasters.
Source: N1
