Chairperson-in-Office Steinmeier welcomes mandate extension of OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović

BERLIN, 23 March 2016 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier today welcomed the decision by the OSCE Ministerial Council to extend the mandate of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, for a period of one year.

“Dunja Mijatović is a dedicated and tireless advocate for the promotion and protection of free expression and free media in the OSCE region and beyond,” said Steinmeier. He emphasized that in these times of conflict and crises in particular, a strong and independent voice, holding firm to the cause of media freedom, was more important than ever.

Mijatović took office as OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media in March 2010 and was appointed for another three-year term in 2013.

“I would like to thank Dunja Mijatović for her outstanding performance over the last six years and her readiness to continue this demanding work for an additional one,” Steinmeier said. He called upon all OSCE participating States to support the Representative on Freedom of the Media in her efforts to fulfil the important mandate of observing media developments, as part of an early warning function and in helping OSCE participating States abide by their commitments to freedom of expression and free media. 

Before serving as OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Mijatović was Director of the Broadcasting Division of the Communication Regulatory Agency (CRA) of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Chairperson of the European Platform of Regulatory Authorities (EPRA). In 2015, Mijatović was awarded the Médaille Charlemagne.

Following a transparent and inclusive selection procedure organized by the Serbian (2015) and German (2016) OSCE Chairmanships to select a successor to Mijatović in due time, after the end of her second regular term, the 57 OSCE participating States could not reach consensus on any of the candidates. The German Chairmanship will continue its efforts to reach consensus on a new Representative on Freedom of the Media by the end of 2016.