The representatives of the Ministry of Culture and Information, Minister Bratislav Petkovic, Assistant Minister Dragan Kolarevic and State Secretary Zoran Avramovic, briefed the Committee members on the Ministry’s work in the first quarter of the year and its upcoming activities. They announced that the Draft Law on Public Information and the Media would soon be sent to the Serbian Government which would in turn forward it into Assembly procedure. The Law on Electronic Media and Law on Public Audio-Visual Services are also expected to be adopted in early September, following a public debate.
In the debate, the Committee members had several objections to the Ministry’s work, among other things the fact that the Ministry did not address the problems in culture, that the Ministry had failed to support certain renowned cultural events such as the Nisville jazz festival, October Salon, Bitef and others and that cultural events in smaller communities have been completely disregarded in the allocation of public funds.
Committee Chairperson Vesna Marjanovic suggested holding a special Committee sitting dedicated to coming up with measures to halt the “further decline of Serbian culture”. She added that it is a well-known fact that Serbia suffers many social and economic problems and that the state’s money is being spent inadequately while important cultural events remain unfunded.
The Committee Chairperson announced that she would convene a Committee sitting to deliberate on the various initiatives related to the adoption of the set of media laws with representatives of the Ministry of Culture and Information.
She also informed the Committee members that the Committee Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson have been invited by EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule to the conference on Freedom of Expression and Media in Western Balkan Countries and Turkey on 20 June in Brussels.

The sitting was chaired by Vesna Marjanovic, Committee Chairperson.