SEEMO: SERBIA - Electronic media and Ekonomist magazin

1. SEEMO letter to H.E. Zoran Djindjic: Position of the electronic media

H.E. Zoran Djindjic

Prime Minister

Republic of Serbia

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

Fax: + 381 11 3617 - 609

Vienna, 21 November 2001

Your Excellency,

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South Eastern Europe, and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), is concerned about the position of the electronic media in Serbia one year after the political change in Belgrade.

According to the information supplied to SEEMO, the legal framework of the operation of the independent electronic media in Serbia is no better than the one in place during the regime of Slobodan Milosevic, while conditions for healthy competition on equal terms for all electronic media in Serbia are still non-existent. Most members of the Association of Independent Electronic Media in Serbia (ANEM) are still working as "pirate" stations. Of the 64 stations in the ANEM radio network, only 31 are licensed. Only 11 of the 40 stations in ANEM's television network have been granted licences. This makes development and planning impractical and prevents stations from seeking stable sources of finance.

SEEMO urges Your Excellency to use your authority and political influence to facilitate an immediate adoption of new media and telecommunications regulations, particularly the proposed Broadcasting Act that was drafted by local experts with international consultation. We believe that the adoption of this Act will be the key step in establishing the proper relationship between the political authorities and the media, and that it will reinforce media independence, which is an important factor for democratisation in Serbia.

We also ask you to start the process of transforming the state media, including Radio Television Serbia (RTS), into public service media, and to establish an independent regulatory body authorized to allocate transmission frequencies.

Finally, SEEMO calls for the immediate granting of temporary licences to independent electronic media in Serbia. Such licences would be valid until the frequency allocation procedure under the new legislation has been completed.

Yours sincerely,

Oliver Vujovic

Secretary General

Cc: H.E. Dragisa Pesic, Prime Minister, FR Yugoslavia

H.E. Savo Markovic, Minister of Justice, FR Yugoslavia

H.E. Bozidar Milovic, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, FR Yugoslavia

H.E. Slobodan Orlic, Federal Secretary of Information, FR Yugoslavia

H.E. Marija Raseta-Vukosavljevic, Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Serbia, FRY

H.E. Vladan Batic, Minister of Justice, Serbia, FRY

2. SEEMO letter to H.E. Zoran Djindjic: Ekonomist magazin

H.E. Zoran Djindjic

Prime Minister

Republic of Serbia

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

Fax: + 381 11 3617-609

Vienna, 21 November 2001

Your Excellency,

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South Eastern Europe, and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), is deeply concerned about the case of the independent economic magazine, Ekonomist magazin.

According to the information before SEEMO, on 17 January 2000, Ekonomist was declared a "publication of special interest for science" and therefore exempt from general circulation tax, in accordance with Serbian law. However, a decision signed on 12 September 2001 by the Vice Minister for Science and Technology, Professor Dr. Ljubisa Papic, has led to Ekonomist magazin losing this status. As a result, the magazine now has to pay the general circulation tax.

In SEEMO's opinion, this change in the status of Ekonomist magazin is unusual, because the concept of the magazine has not changed since January 2000. In addition, we find it strange that an independent publication, which has always been critical of economic developments and policy in Serbia, enjoyed a better position during the Milosevic regime than it does today.

SEEMO urges Your Excellency to find a legal way to help professional and independent media that play an important role in scientific development in Serbia. For this specific group of media, every new financial load is an extra burden. We are sure that you also understand that the existence of the scientific media is very important for the economic development and democratisation of Serbia.

Yours sincerely,

Oliver Vujovic

Secretary General

Cc: H.E. Dragisa Pesic, Prime Minister, FR Yugoslavia

H.E. Slobodan Orlic, Federal Secretary of Information, FR Yugoslavia

H.E. Dragan Domazet, Minister of Science and Technology, Serbia, FRY

H.E. Ljubisa Papic, Vice-Minister of Science and Technology, Serbia, FRY

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SEEMO is a regional network of editors, media executives and leading journalists from newspapers, magazines, radio, TV, internet, new media and news agencies in the South Eastern European Region. Contact: SEEMO, Spiegelgasse 2 / 29, 1010 Vienna (AUSTRIA), Tel: (+ 43 1) 513 39 40, Fax: (+43 1) 512 90 15, www.seemo.at