We are deeply concerned that in the lead up to crucial elections, an investment fund with documented links to President Vučić has seized control of Serbia’s last independent news outlets.
Earlier this year, we expressed our concern that the sale of the Adria News Network (ANN) to Alpac Capital posed a direct and imminent threat to media freedom in Serbia and the Western Balkans.
We warned that this sale would hand some of the last editorially independent news outlets in Serbia, including N1, Nova S, Radar and Danas, under the control of a firm whose existing media holdings have been marked by allegations of censorship, political interference and erosion of editorial standards.
When they announced the sale Alpac Capital told the public that the transaction was ‘subject to the standardised regulatory approvals’ required by law. Any change in control at ANN requires the consent of Luxembourg’s media ministry, and competition regulators in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. None of these clearances have been publicly granted.
Days before the letter’s release, Alpac’s chief executive registered himself as the CEO of ANN’s media outlets. The previous directors have been dismissed. Alpac Capital has effectively taken control of independent newsrooms that they have not yet been given permission to buy.
Alpac Capital’s existing record in Serbia has attracted sustained criticism and concern from press freedom organisations. Alpac Capital acquired a majority stake in Euronews in 2022 that was partly financed by Hungarian state capital and companies closely linked to the political networks of Viktor Orbán.
Alpac Capital’s political connections are no secret. President Vučić has publicly named the father of Alpac’s CEO as an old friend. The CEO of Alpac’s commercial partner, Telekom Srbija, was previously recorded discussing strategies to weaken N1. The European Parliament warned at the time that ‘the Serbian Government appears to have been negotiating with the owners of the United Media company to ‘weaken’ independent media outlets operating under it’.
In an open letter to Alpac’s CEO, the Serbian Minister of Information and Telecommunications endorsed Alpac’s takeover of ANN, and urged him to expose N1 and Nova S to stronger oversight and influence from the Serbian state. He also approvingly sums up what Alpac’s takeover means for the last remaining independent newsrooms in Serbia – their ‘clinical death’.
The unions representing journalists at Nova, Radar, N1 have condemned the takeover. In a statement, they said they ‘suspect that things will not stop here, and that changes of editors will follow, with the intention of bringing the remaining independent and professional media into line with the wishes of the current regime’.
The context and timing in which all of this is taking place, particularly given the state of media freedom in Serbia, are especially concerning. We therefore fear the consequences that such a takeover could have for citizens’ right to be informed about topics and issues that do not serve the interests of those in power, particularly during this crucial pre-election period.
That’s why we are kindly calling on:
- Luxembourg’s Minister for Media and Connectivity and ALIA to open an immediate inquiry into whether control of ANN has been transferred without their consent as required by law, and to conduct the most rigorous assessment possible of whether Alpac Capital is a fit and proper owner.
- The competent authorities of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro to investigate whether standstill obligations have been breached, and to use their powers to reverse any premature implementation of control.
- The European Board for Media Services and the European Commission to exercise their powers under the European Media Freedom Act to assess this concentration, in light of the fact that it covers a Luxembourg company running newsrooms in EU member states, and to make it clear that the capture of Serbia’s last independent media outlets will have consequences for the accession process.
- BC Partners and United Group to publicly explain why they authorised the transfer of control of ANN, and to explain how it is compatible with the conditions in the sale agreement despite the regulatory hurdles not having been satisfied.
- Members of ANN’s Editorial Council to publicly explain whether they were consulted before control was effectively handed over to Alpac Capital, and what action they will take to preserve ANN’s editorial independence.
- Alpac Capital and its CEO to agree to the relevant unions’ request for a meeting, and to explain their actions to them, as well as any plans to preserve editorial independence at these media outlets.
Youth Initiative for Human Rights
Rainbow Ignite
Belgrade Center for Security Policy
Independent Journalists’ Association of Vojvodina
Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation
Association of independent electronic media
Association of Online Media
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS)
Renewables and Environmental Regulatory Institute (RERI)
Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM)
Autonomous Women’s Center
FemPlatz
Bureau for Social Research (BIRODI)
KROKODIL
CRTA
European Movement in Serbia
Atina NGO
