Giaufret: The issue of the role of the state in the media is “hot” and that is why “safeguards” are important

The head of the EU delegation to Serbia, Emanuele Gioffre, said that the issue of state ownership of media is “hot” and that there are no rules or acquis in Europe on this issue either, but it is important that there are safeguards in place to avoid a disbalance in media pluralism.

In TV N1 show New Day, Gioffrey said progress has been made in several areas when it comes to adopted media laws.

“We have seen some positive steps in the law, such as appointing REM members to strengthen its independence, codifying the role of the Press Council, transparency, access to funding, these are all important steps forward,” Gioffre said.

I know one issue is hot — the question of the state’s role in the media, Gioffrey said.

“In the EU, we don’t have rules, the acquis some member states allow state ownership, some don’t. But it is important that there are safeguards in place so that there is no imbalance in media pluralism,” the European official stressed.

According to him, the EU wants to see clarification of antitrust rules, competition and concentration control, “safeguards that will ensure editorial independence and media pluralism”.

You have to have safeguards that protect media pluralism, no matter what the situation is. It is necessary to have REM and its role will be modified, this is an important measure that we want to see realized, he said.

Also, as he pointed out, the Press Council is the guardian of the code of ethics and has a role in strengthening safeguards.

“This area is constantly changing for us, evolving. New regulations will come soon in the EU, we are currently working on an act on media freedom,” Gioffre said.

Harmonization of foreign policy with the EU and normalization of relations Between Belgrade and Pristina

Speaking about the alignment of Serbia’s foreign policy with the EU, Gioffrey said that this issue was a problem, recalling that Serbia had a repayment last year, that it had fallen from 60% to 40%, and that there was no significant progress this year either.

“Serbia has remained at the same level, and this is not good news,” he said.

The obligation to harmonize, as he recalled, has always existed and this is nothing new.

“Many candidate countries are at 100 percent compliance,” he said, adding that Serbia has decided to take a different stance regarding sanctions against Russia, and that the EU will continue to insist on it.

Discussing the normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, Gioffrey reiterated that the European Commission’s proposal to member states would be to implement the Ohrid and earlier agreements as a condition for the two sides.

“They will have to show genuine determination that they are ready to implement them,” the European official stressed.

The issue of normalization of relations, as he assessed, “goes from crisis to crisis, and I think we should go from progress to progress.”

European integration and elections in Serbia

Gioffrey says the accession process is merit-based and candidates must be ready when the time comes.

“We are at a specific moment because of the war in Ukraine, there is a clear signal from the EU that we need to go faster and implement enlargement to the Western Balkans, but also accelerate the reform process,” he said.

The EU, he said, wants to work with Serbia and any government that has a strategic goal of moving closer to the EU.

“It’s a matter of determination and time, we have to empower both the government and the assembly to do better. It is necessary for the government to have a time horizon so that it can do everything necessary along the way,” Giffre said.

“I hope we win with debate and respect.”

He expressed the expectation that the new assembly, after the elections in Serbia, will function in a better and more orderly way.

“We hope that this election will be with full respect and debate on specific topics, not attacks on individual figures, and that it will be fair play,” Gioffre said.