We are following the latest developments regarding the situation at N1 in the context of Serbia’s EU accession negotiations, European Commission (EC) spokesperson Guillaume Mercier said.
“We have made it repeatedly clear to Serbian authorities that media freedom and pluralism are essential foundations of a democratic society and a fundamental right in the EU,” he said, adding that “these are crucial for a candidate country to respect in order to progress on its EU path.”
“This includes the protection of editorial independence, which is among the key principles of the European Media Freedom Act as part of the EU acquis, and with which candidate countries are expected to align their legislation and fully implement in practice,” Mercier said in a written statement.
He concluded by saying that “independent media need to be able to exercise their role as a watchdog to increase transparency and accountability of the functions of public figures and institutions.”
Citizens and journalists gathered outside the N1 building on Tuesday evening to show solidarity with the newsroom following the removal of TV N1 director Igor Bozic.
Earlier on Tuesday, N1 employees met with the new chief news executive, Brent Sadler, but the atmosphere in the newsroom remains unchanged as staff continue to voice deep concerns, an N1 reporter noted from the support rally.
Igor Bozic was notified by the new management on Friday of his removal from the position of news director. He was informed that he is currently unassigned and will no longer lead the newsroom pending a decision by the Adria News Network (ANN) Board regarding his status.
Source: N1
