IPI says Serbian government draft media laws not in line with standards

“The IPI today joins its partner organisations in the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in raising the alarm about two draft media laws brought forward by the Serbian government for their lack of compliance with international freedom of expression standards,” a press release said.

It warned that the draft laws, if passed, “would represent a regressive step with wide-ranging implications for media freedom and pluralism”. “The MFRR calls on the Serbian government to withdraw the problematic changes added into the latest drafts and ensure compliance with the country’s previously agreed Media Strategy,” it said.

The IPI said that the latest versions of the draft Law on Public Information and Media and the Law on Electronic Media “propose a framework that would block the reform of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM) and pave the way for a return to full state ownership of private media, including Telekom Serbia”. The laws were drafted by the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications.

“The MFRR is concerned that the proposed changes do not comply with international and European standards on media freedom and freedom of expression and diverge radically from the objectives of the Media Strategy adopted by the Government of Serbia in 2020,” it said.