National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia / Activities / Activity details
6 November 2013 The sitting of the Culture and Information Committee and the PACE Sub-Committee on Media and Information Society
Wednesday, 6 November 2013
16th Sitting of the Culture and Information Committee
On 6 November, the Culture and Information Committee held a sitting with the Sub-Committee on Media and Information Society of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
The sitting focused on the protection of media freedom in Europe and the priorities for audiovisual media policy in Europe.
The sitting was opened by the National Assembly Speaker, Dr Nebojsa Stefanovic who said that protecting the freedom of expression and freedom of speech are fundamental values of every democratic society. Media freedom, the integrity and independence of journalists have to be protected by all means so that the voice of the citizens and their representatives in the parliaments may be relayed without impediment, said Stefanovic. He announced that the National Assembly would soon be discussing a set of media laws and stressed that Serbia needs to modernise its legislation in the sphere. Stefanovic added that he was sure that the position of the Public Broadcasting Service of Serbia would soon be regulated, in line with the practice of developed democratic societies.
Culture and Information Committee Chairperson Vesna Marjanovic said that, when it comes to media policy, the PACE member states face similar challenges especially now that many of them suffer the consequences of the economic crisis. The Committee Chairperson stressed how important it is to regulate the position of the Public Broadcasting Service. She also spoke of the dominance of the Internet over the other media, pointed out the connection between culture and media and drew attention to the inadequate number of cultural programmes in Serbian media. The participants of the sitting were also addressed by Diana Eccles, member of the PACE Sub-Committee on Media and Information Society, and Aleksandra Djurovic, Head of the National Assembly’s standing delegation to PACE.
OSCE Representative on the Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic, representative of the European Federation of Journalists Mogens Blicher-Bjerregård and Media Freedom Representative of the Association of European Journalists William Horsley spoke at the first session, with the topic “Protection of media freedom in Europe”. The participants of the discussion drew attention to the frequent attacks on journalists throughout Europe and appealed for the adoption and consistent enforcement of legislation which would ensure the journalists to work without impediments and protect their human rights. They also noted the lack of political will to address the issue.
In the second session, with the topic “Priorities for audiovisual media policy in Europe”, the participants were first addressed by Minister of Culture and Media Ivan Tasovac. He said that, despite the expansion of digital technologies which have sped up the exchange of information, the role of traditional journalism remains relevant. Tasovac said that the lack of media freedom is the result of the economic difficulties the society is in. One of the most important questions today is how to avoid the influence of the state on the media, said Tasovac, adding that free media are possible only in a society that rewards its journalists adequately.
Director General of the European Broadcasting Union Ingrid Deltenre spoke of the freedom of speech, protection of media pluralism and models for the sustainable financing of public service broadcasting. On the behalf of the Community Media Forum Europe (CMFE) the participants were addressed by Executive Board member Pieter de Wit. He presented the work of the Forum comprising radio, TV and Internet stations of 26 countries, at a friendly basis. The topics of discussion were the role of the state in media financing, continued privatisation of the media, change from budget to project financing and media legislation in the sphere of public broadcasting services.
At the end of the proceedings, the participants adopted joint conclusions, available here.
The sitting was chaired by Vesna Marjanovic, Chairperson of the Culture and Information Committee, and Diana Eccles, member of the PACE Sub-Committee on Media and Information Society.
The sitting was opened by the National Assembly Speaker, Dr Nebojsa Stefanovic who said that protecting the freedom of expression and freedom of speech are fundamental values of every democratic society. Media freedom, the integrity and independence of journalists have to be protected by all means so that the voice of the citizens and their representatives in the parliaments may be relayed without impediment, said Stefanovic. He announced that the National Assembly would soon be discussing a set of media laws and stressed that Serbia needs to modernise its legislation in the sphere. Stefanovic added that he was sure that the position of the Public Broadcasting Service of Serbia would soon be regulated, in line with the practice of developed democratic societies.
Culture and Information Committee Chairperson Vesna Marjanovic said that, when it comes to media policy, the PACE member states face similar challenges especially now that many of them suffer the consequences of the economic crisis. The Committee Chairperson stressed how important it is to regulate the position of the Public Broadcasting Service. She also spoke of the dominance of the Internet over the other media, pointed out the connection between culture and media and drew attention to the inadequate number of cultural programmes in Serbian media. The participants of the sitting were also addressed by Diana Eccles, member of the PACE Sub-Committee on Media and Information Society, and Aleksandra Djurovic, Head of the National Assembly’s standing delegation to PACE.
OSCE Representative on the Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic, representative of the European Federation of Journalists Mogens Blicher-Bjerregård and Media Freedom Representative of the Association of European Journalists William Horsley spoke at the first session, with the topic “Protection of media freedom in Europe”. The participants of the discussion drew attention to the frequent attacks on journalists throughout Europe and appealed for the adoption and consistent enforcement of legislation which would ensure the journalists to work without impediments and protect their human rights. They also noted the lack of political will to address the issue.
In the second session, with the topic “Priorities for audiovisual media policy in Europe”, the participants were first addressed by Minister of Culture and Media Ivan Tasovac. He said that, despite the expansion of digital technologies which have sped up the exchange of information, the role of traditional journalism remains relevant. Tasovac said that the lack of media freedom is the result of the economic difficulties the society is in. One of the most important questions today is how to avoid the influence of the state on the media, said Tasovac, adding that free media are possible only in a society that rewards its journalists adequately.
Director General of the European Broadcasting Union Ingrid Deltenre spoke of the freedom of speech, protection of media pluralism and models for the sustainable financing of public service broadcasting. On the behalf of the Community Media Forum Europe (CMFE) the participants were addressed by Executive Board member Pieter de Wit. He presented the work of the Forum comprising radio, TV and Internet stations of 26 countries, at a friendly basis. The topics of discussion were the role of the state in media financing, continued privatisation of the media, change from budget to project financing and media legislation in the sphere of public broadcasting services.
At the end of the proceedings, the participants adopted joint conclusions, available here.
The sitting was chaired by Vesna Marjanovic, Chairperson of the Culture and Information Committee, and Diana Eccles, member of the PACE Sub-Committee on Media and Information Society.