OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media concludes visit to Serbia

From 29 June to 1 July 2022, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Teresa Ribeiro conducted her first official visit to Serbia.

During her three-day visit, the Representative met with high-level government representatives and senior officials, including the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia Ana Brnabić, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikola Selaković, the Minister of Culture and Information Maja Gojković and the Speaker of the National Assembly Ivica Dačić. Ribeiro also met with the Republic Public Prosecutor of the Republic of Serbia Zagorka Dolovac and her Deputy Branko Stamenković, as well with representatives from the Ministry of Interior, including the Ministry’s Media Advisor Jasna Popović-Ćosić and Chief Coordinator Bekir Dudić.

The Representative further met with the management of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM), the management of the public service broadcaster Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) and with several journalists and representatives from media associations and investigative outlets.

Ribeiro addressed with her counterparts several issues pertinent to media freedom in Serbia, including progress made, as well as gaps and challenges related to the implementation of the national Media Strategy and its Action Plan, both of which were adopted by the Serbian government in 2020, in an effort to strengthen the media landscape in the country.

Also in the focus of the discussions, were legal, physical and digital safety conditions of journalists; media pluralism and sustainability; editorial independence and functioning of the media regulatory authority and public service media. Ribeiro stressed the need for a whole-of-society approach in addressing these issues to ensure effective decision-making in the public interest, as envisioned under the national Media Strategy, specifically by ensuring inclusive and transparent legislative processes, the involvement of all relevant stakeholders, including media, civil society and academia..

Among the main concerns raised by media representatives were difficult working conditions, especially in local media, including low salaries, layoffs, disproportionate allocation of public funds and access to public information, verbal attacks and harassment by public figures and a rising number of lawsuits intended to silence and discourage critical reporting.

While the Representative commended some rapid response initiatives by the government undertaken in the area of safety of journalists (such as the establishment of the Permanent Working Group for Safety of Journalists, the Government Working Group for Safety of Journalists, the designation of contact points in the law enforcement and public prosecutor’s offices, and the launch of the 24-hour SOS phone line for reporting attacks on and harassment of journalists), she stressed that more concerted action and political commitment are needed to secure a safe, free, functional and pluralistic media landscape in Serbia. Ribeiro expressed her readiness to provide all necessary assistance and support to Serbia in strengthening the media environment in the country in line with her mandate.

The Representative used the visit also to launch her Policy Manual “Spotlight on Artificial Intelligence on Freedom of Expression (SAIFE)”, which was translated into Serbian language. The event included a panel discussion on the impact of artificial intelligence on freedom of expression, organized in co-operation with the OSCE Mission to Serbia and with the support of USAID, and gathered participants from the media community and policy makers in Serbia.