30. 11. 2014

ANEM Announced Seminars on the Implementation of New Media Laws

press conf

press conf

New media legal framework is an important move forward and a big step in the harmonization with the European regulatory framework. It offers a good basis for long awaited reforms in the media sector, which also requires adequate implementation of new laws. In order for adequate implementation to take place, certain preconditions are necessary, one of them being raising the capacity of media and journalists for understanding new media laws so that they could properly fulfil their rights and obligations and thus contribute to the full effect of the new laws, both in their personal interest and in the interest of the public.

With the aim to contribute to the above explained, and recognizing such need of its member stations and other media and journalists, ANEM will organize a series of seminars across Serbia (with the support of the Embassy of the Netherlands and technical assistance of the OSCE Mission to Serbia) in order to educate media, journalists and other interested parties on the Law on Public Information and Media (as the umbrella law for all media and journalists) and the Law on Electronic Media (as the umbrella law for electronic media).

Two seminars are planned in December 2014 (in Belgrade and Novi Sad), and four seminars in the period February - May 2015 (in Kragujevac, Niš, Novi Pazar and Subotica).

Lecturers at the seminars will be representatives of responsible institutions - Ministry for Culture and Information, Regulatory Body for Electronic Media, Privatization Agency, as well as media and legal experts.

ANEM president Milorad Tadić stated that ANEM finds the implementation of new media laws important for media reforms, so, at the seminars, it will provide the media with the training on how to benefit from the new legislation. He also announced that ANEM will publish electronic Guide through new media laws within the scope of the same project. Tadić invited all the media, journalists, representatives of local self-autonomies and other interested parties to take part in the seminars.

Gordana Janković, head of the Media Department of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, expressed her satisfaction for taking up this ANEM initiative on behalf of her department and commended the work of ANEM during past 20 years. She said that the respect of law and the rule of law are high on the OSCE agenda, as well as strengthening local media as a guarantee of democratic processes in the country. As for the implementation of the new media laws, Janković said that she expects an entirely different media situation in Serbia, safeguarding of public interest by the media, public debate via traditional and social media opening complex issues, and media promotion of transparency and anti-corruption regarding the authorities.

Saša Mirković, state secretary at the Ministry of Culture and Information, said that on the day of the press conference the new Rulebook on co-financing of media content came into force, a document that more precisely defines rules regarding project-based co-financing of media on the local level, the level of the autonomouos province of Vojvodina and the republic level.

He commended the ANEM initiative regarding the seminars and expressed his satisfaction that representatives of his Ministry will be lecturers at these events, particularly because the seminars are focused on two laws, one being the Law on Public Information and Media, the umbrella law of extreme importance both for print and broadcast media. He also said that similar initiatives will be more than useful in the future as the interest for the implementation of the law will not diminish with time considering a myriad of forthcoming challenges, one of which is drafting of the new Media Strategy that the Ministry will work on in 2015 so that it can be implemented as of 2016. Mirković is of opinion that the seminars are needed across Serbia in order to collect information from all parts of the country and to clarify all issues to the media. Regarding that, he expressed his satisfaction that representatives of the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities were present at the press conference as, according to Mirković, they need to have an important role in informing local self-autonomies on bylaws, particularly on the one on project-based co-financing.

Mirković announced that several very important processes for the media will be taking place simultaneously in 2015: withdrawal of the state from media ownership; more than challenging digitalization process that should be completed by 17 June 2015; and the introduction of project-based media co-financing. Therefore, 2015 will be very important for the development of the media sector as of 2016 when we will have digitized TV signal, privately owned media only, and project-based co-financing as the only model of state financing of the media, Mirković said.

Goran Karadžić, president of the Council of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM), said that REM has to adopt several bylaws and organize public debates on those acts in the following few months. He also said that he sees ANEM seminars as a step forward in informing broadcasters on the legislative framework and he thinks that those events will be an opportunity to hear the opinions of media professionals while the Regulatory Body prepares bylaws. He told that the digital switchover and the price list prepared by the public company „Broadcasting Equipment and Links" are in broadcasters' focus, too, since the broadcasters see it as the key point of their future existence or demise. Karadžić said that, based on his information, the financial obligations of the broadcasters towards the said public company will be such that the digital switchover will not jeopardize their existence.

Dušan Šutanovac from the Privatization Agency said that the Agency recognized the importance of ANEM seminars and accepted participation in them with satisfaction. He also said the the Agency's participation in the seminars will be aimed at clarifying the media privatization procedure. The questions that the Agency had been receiving indicate that there are many issues regarding this topic that need clarification and Šutanovac will personally put effort into presenting the topic of privatization in an easily understandable way, he said.

Professor Rade Veljanovski said that he will give at ANEM seminars a lecture on public interest stipulated by new media legislation, which he defined as the situation in which all citizens of this country may freely speak, receive and impart information, and they can be informed in a timely, truthful and objective manner, with no influence of power centers. Veljanovski thinks that what is important in the new set of laws, above all in the Law on Public Information and Media, is that this law now more precisely defines the issue of public interest which has been neglected in the past 14 years. He also thinks that now there is a more authentic intention to implement the laws, unlike the situation before, where one of the consequences is that media privatization is 12 years late.

Slobodan Kremenjak, attorney-at-law and media law expert, said that we have had the chance to acquaint ourselves with new media laws since they were adopted in August 2014, and we now have the first bylaws. Therefore, ANEM seminars are a good opportunity to exchange opinions, identify local problems and solutions to them. He also stated that the seminars may be the start of the public debate on the new Media Strategy and that they should be used toward this goal. It is important that the seminars unify the capacities of the state, independent regulatory bodies, media experts and experts for media law, Kremenjak said.

LOGO

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