Lack of transparency in developing draft amendments to media law threatens media reform, Head of OSCE Mission to Serbia says
BELGRADE, 25 August 2009 - The Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, Ambassador Hans Ola Urstad, expressed concern today about the development of draft amendments to the Public Information Law, saying that the repeated use of urgent procedure posed a threat to the quality of the law and media reform.
"This is the second time this year that media legislation is being processed under urgent procedure. Such a practice threatens the quality of the legislation and its implementation, and could harm media reform in Serbia," Urstad said, adding that the lack of transparency and public dialogue during the drafting of the amendments was particularly a cause for concern.
Urstad also welcomed some of the provisions in the amendments, including greater responsibility for distribution companies, founders of media outlets and editors-in-chief as well as increased accountability for breaking the presumption of innocence and violating the rights of minors.
"However, the proposed amendments set fines that are too high for a Serbian context,, which could lead to self-censorship and the closure of media outlets," he said.
Other problematic provisions included empowering authorities to close media outlets whose accounts have been frozen for longer than 90 days per year, and a ban on transfer of ownership rights on media outlets.
"Although the establishment of a media ownership registry would be a positive development, the Mission would caution against the introduction of registration in the media registry as a precondition for media outlets' establishment and existence, as this may infringe on media freedom," Urstad added.
"The OSCE Mission supports efforts by the government and all stakeholders to create a media environment in which professional standards, ethical norms and legal provisions are fully respected."