Media operations

Former shareholders of the Port Belgrade and C Market have demanded that the RTS, as a public service broadcaster, inform the viewers about their regular protests organized on Thursday in front of the building of the Government of Serbia. They have warned that if their demand is not met, the 10,000 of them would stop paying the monthly TV fee to the Radio-Television Serbia.
(Pravda, 11.06.2011)

Privatization and state-owned media

In the words of the general manager of the TV Avala, Bojana Lekic, at this moment three major international media groups are interested in ownership share in TV Avala. However, at the time there has been no mention of selling the station to any buyer, including Al-Jazeera, says Bojana Lekic.
(Dnevnik, 17.06.2011)

The Anti-Corruption Council has submitted to the Higher Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade a lawsuit against seven persons because of illegal privatization of the Novosti company, announced the Agency yesterday. The charges relate to abuse of official position, fraud and forgery of official documents. The names of the suspects have not been made public in order to avoid any pressure on the prosecutors, said the Agency's announcement.
(Danas, BETA, Blic, 18.06.2011)

Several major European companies, among them German VAC, have asked the European Commission in Brussels to help them to protect their ownership rights. In the beginning of the week, the officials from Brussles sent a letter to the Government of Serbia demanding a reexamination of 24 cases of privatization. One of these cases is the privatization of the Novosti company.
(Politika, 18.06.2011)

"In the case of privatization of Novosti, we were surprised by the scope of continued illegal activities committed by state bodies. There is every indication that this is an example of organized crime based on collusion between the executive branch of government with the center of financial power. There is no other way to explain the shocking fact that has been hidden from the public for years – that Novosti has never been privatized although three foreign companies are officially registered as owners. These companies are related legal persons whose majority owner is Milan Beko. This constitutes an illegal concentration of 62.43 percent of the capital", said the president of the Anti-Corruption Council, Verica Barac.
(Danas – Business, 13.06.2011)

Issue No. 6
June 9–23, 2011

Abbreviations