The officials discussed the activities the Republic of Serbia is conducting with the aim to improve media freedom. The Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic pointed out that Serbia attaches great importance to the issue of media freedom and to cooperation with the OSCE representative in the field. He went on to say that Serbia continues to invest efforts into the implementation of the 2020-2025 Strategy for the Development of the Public Information System Action Plan. "In the development of these documents, as well as in their implementation, Serbia has received significant expert assistance from the OSCE, which we are very grateful for," said Dacic.

The National Assembly Speaker informed Ms. Ribeiro that, in accordance with the Strategy for the Development of the Public Information System, in order to improve election conditions ahead of the presidential and parliamentary elections in the Republic of Serbia held on 3 April of this year, the National Assembly had in December 2021 amended the Law on Electronic Media adding new obligations for all providers of audiovisual media services, in accordance with the document resulting from the Inter-Party Dialogue on Election Conditions conducted with the mediation of the European Parliament, as well as the Law amending and modifying the Law on Public Service Media, which strengthens the obligation to respect the principles of impartial, fair and balanced representation of political entities during the election campaign.

The Representative on Freedom of the Media Ms. Ribiero expressed satisfaction with the successful gradual implementation of the Strategy for the Development of the Public Information System, stressing that her office is ready for further cooperation and offering assistance to the competent Serbian authorities. The goal of her visit to Serbia, she said was the improvement of communication and cooperation on all issues that require a reaction. She underlined the responsibility the institutions of all the OSCE participating states have towards the media, emphasising that the protection of journalists and tolerance for the activities of media workers are a priority, as is the efficiency of regulatory bodies. Ms. Ribeiro stressed that all the OSCE participating states should respect the commitments they had made by taking part in the work of the Organization, especially in terms of the OSCE Ministerial Council 2018 Decision on the Safety of Journalists and announced the launch of a new project which would, among other things, offer assistance in the implementation of this Decision.

Dacic also said that the successful results were achieved thanks to good cooperation with the OSCE Mission to Serbia which had actively participated in the development of the Media Strategy and Action Plan and now participates as an observer in the Working Group Monitoring the Implementation of the Media Strategy Action Plan, as well as in the work of the Government Working Group for Security and Protection of Journalists.

Finally, the Assembly Speaker said that, in accordance with the Action Plan, further amendments to the media laws are planned to be realised after the constitution of the new Parliament and the formation of the Government of the Republic of Serbia.