site.btaNew Serbian Government Must Support Media Freedom, Says EP Rapporteur for Serbia

The new Serbian government must support professional journalism and media freedom, the European Parliament's Rapporteur for Serbia, Vladimir Bilcik, said in a BTA interview Thursday. He stressed that the media should not hesitate to report the facts and the truth, no matter how uncomfortable it may be for some Serbian politicians. The composition of the new government is expected to be presented by Sunday by the leader of the largest parliamentary coalition around the ruling Serbian Progressive Party.

According to Bilcik, supporting professional and free media companies will be one of the biggest tasks of the new Serbian government, as professional journalism has been a major challenge for the country in recent years. There is a hybrid war and Serbia is the victim of a lot of disinformation, which comes largely from Russia, and the disinformation is being spread on a massive scale by Serbian media, said Bilcik. He added that this contributes to the lower trust in the European Union and in Serbia's European path among Serbian citizens. 

Bilcik explained that this is important, as the new European legislation on media freedom will enter into force in the coming months and will be included in the conditions for the accession of new EU member states. The new legislation aims to protect journalists and the media in the EU from political and economic interference. Member States will be obliged to protect the independence of the media, and all forms of interference in editorial decisions will be prohibited.

Bilcik emphasised that the best response to growing Euroscepticism in Serbia would be for the new government to be clearly pro-European. If the new government doubts Europe, attacks Europe, undermines European values through its actions and words, this will also undermine Serbia's relations with the EU, Bilcik said.

He addressed the process of European integration of Serbia, which has been going on for nearly ten years and is perceived as the main reason for the growing Euroscepticism among Serbian citizens. The key to unlocking Serbia's European integration process is entirely in Serbia's hands at the moment. After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, enlargement has once again become one of the EU's top priorities. This is a clear sign for the candidate countries that if they make a move, the EU will also be ready to move, said Bilcik.

In his view, Serbia faces three main priorities regarding European integration. While he acknowledged the progress the country has made in connection to reforms in the rule of law, he also pointed out that much more needs to be done, especially when it comes to media laws and the quality of democracy in the country. Bilcik added that Serbia has always been somewhat of an outsider as far as aligning the national policy with that of the EU. This is especially evident after Russia's aggression against Ukraine. It is not only about synchronizing restrictive measures and sanctions with the European policy, which Serbia alone in the Western Balkans did not introduce. It is also about a broader synchronization with the EU's policy on Iran, China and other issues, emphasized Bilcik.

According to Bilcik, the main priority of Serbia's European path continues to be the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, which aims to normalize relations between Serbia and Kosovo. The dialogue is not a subject of discussion, it is a condition for Serbia's admission to the EU. The success of the dialogue will push the progress of Serbia, Bilcik said. He pointed out that the ball is in Pristina's court at the moment and that the creation of the Association of Serb Majority Municipalities, which was agreed with under the Brussels Agreement in 2013, is still first on the agenda of the dialogue. This is not a matter that can be solved by one person - it is a matter of both sides moving in the same direction, which will make any decision easier, Bilcik concluded.