The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS)

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) will hold its regular annual Assembly on Saturday, 25 June 2011 at 12.00 in the Media Center (Terazije 3/I, Belgrade).
(NUNS, 07/06/2011)

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) and the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV) call on journalists to sign their initiative, aimed at the public and the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA), with regard to appointment of Dalibor Bubnjevic as a member of the Managing Board of the Public Service Broadcaster of Vojvodina. The initiative urges the RRA to immediately remove Bubnjevic from position because of his participation in promotion of Nazi ideals.
(NUNS and NDNV, 06/06/2011)

The Constitutional Court has banned the Nazi organization "Nacionalni Stroj". However, on May 4, the Council of the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) rejected on technical grounds the complaint, submitted by the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV), against the appointment of the promoter of the book "The Case of Nacionalni Stroj" and the manifesto of this organization, Dalibor Bubnjevic, as a member of the Managing Board of Radio-Television Vojvodina (RTV). The Constitutional Court took into account the Constitution and its values. The Council of the RRA hid behind technicalities, proving that it has more respect for causa formalitatis than the laws, morals and interests of the state and the society. Serbian non-governmental organizations call on the Council of the RRA to remove Dalibor Bubnjevic from his position in the Managing Board of the public service broadcaster of Vojvodina (RTV), says the announcement issued by these organizations.
(NUNS, Blic, 06/06/2011)

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia calls on policitians, especially from the ruling political parties, to refrain from making public judgements about the editorial policy of the media, because media houses perceive such opinions as a direct pressure on their editorial concept, and the freedom of expression and informing. From this point of view, we fully understand the protest of the ALO! magazine against statements made by the president of the Republic of Serbia, Boris Tadic, in his interview with German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
(NUNS, 06/06/2011)

The Journalists' Association of Serbia

A round table on the topic of "The Language in the Media" was held in the main hall of the Journalists' Association of Serbia. Among the participants were Dr Aleksandar Milanovic, a professor at the Faculy of Philology in Belgrade, Vlado Djukanovic, a linguist, and Dragan Jovicevic, an editor in the weekly magazine NIN.
(UNS, 01/06/2011)

The Republic Agency for Electronic Communications (RATEL)

Public consultations about the following documents have been completed: Draft Rulebook on Implementation of Cost Principles, Separate Bills and Reporting by Operators with Significant Market Share in the Field of Electronic Communications; Draft Rulebook on the Amount of Fees for Agency's Services; Draft Rulebook on Parameters of Quality of Publicly Available Services and Implementation of Control of Electronic Communications; Draft Rulebook on Control of Usage of Radio Frequencies, Technical Inspections and Protection from Harmful Interference; Draft Rulebook on Usage of Radio Stations in Domestic and Foreign Aircraft, Locomotives, Ships and Other Vessels; and draft solutions with regard to identification of operators with significant market share in relevant markets susceptible to previous regulations.
(RATEL, 08/06/2011)

The Republic Agency for Electronic Communications (RATEL) has issued a publication entitled "The Future Built on Broadband Communications" and authored by members of the Committee for Broadband Access and Digital Development of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). The authors of the publication expect that the strategic use of broadband information and communication technologies will allow dynamic development of the international community and realization of the Millennium Goals until 2015 i.e. achievement of efficient and sustainable solutions for major global challenges in the 21st century – poverty, health care, education, gender equality, climate changes and intensive demographic change of generations.
(RATEL, 31/05/2011)

Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (TDB) of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Brahima Sanou, visited the Republic Agency for Electronic Communications (RATEL). During his visit to Belgrade, Mr. Sanou spoke at the opening of the fourth conference on management of the Internet – EuroDig 2011 (European Dialogue on Internet Governance).
(RATEL, 01/06/2011)

Two bilateral agreements have been signed between Serbia and Montenegro regarding coordination of IMT/UMTS systems: the Technical Agreement on Coordination in Border Areas for IMT/UMTS Systems Within GSM Frequency Ranges 880 - 915 / 925 - 960 MHz (GSM 900) and 1710 – 1785 / 1805 - 1880 MHz (GSM 1800), and the Technical Agreement on Coordination in Border Areas for IMT/UMTS Systems Within GSM Frequency Ranges 1900 – 1980 /2010 – 2025 / 2110 – 2170 MHz.
(RATEL, 08/06/2011)

SEEMO

The establishment of public service broadcasters has proved to be a very difficult task in some Eastern European countries. Public broadcasters tend to be used as government mouthpieces rather than as sources of information for the public at large. The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation, SEEMO, an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), shares concern expressed by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) that recent changes to the statute of Radio-Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHRT), the country-wide public broadcaster, may undermine its editorial independence, and called on Parliament to adopt a new statute. In neighboring Croatia, in March 2011, more than 150 journalists working for the public broadcaster Croatian Television (Hrvatska televizija- HTV) signed a petition asking for one simple thing: respect for professional standards. In Hungary, the new Media Law - the implementation of which coincided with the beginning of Hungary´s presidency of the European Union - initiated in January 2011 has seriously undermined the independence of the public broadcaster MTV. Boris Bergant, President of the SEEMO board said: "It must be clear and transparent what is controlling, and what management in public service is. The management should work in the interest of the company, not in the interest of political representatives. Boards in public services are founded to work in the interest of the publicity and not in the interest of the political groups". SEEMO Secertary General Oliver Vujovic said: "It is high time that governments understand that public information service is not the same as government information service. I urge the authorities to respect and support public bordacasters rather than undermine their independence and credibility."
(SEEMO/IPI, 01/06/2011)

The Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA)

The Council of the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) rejected on technical grounds the complaint, submitted by the non-governmental organization Civic Vojvodina, against the appointment of the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Zrenjanin, as a member of the Managing Board of Radio-Television Vojvodina (RTV). The complaint states that Dalibor Bubnjevic was a promoter of the book "The Case of Nacionalni Stroj" that was authored by the convicted Goran Davidovic Firer.
(Blic, 02/06/2011)

Coalition of non-governmental organizations "Civic Vojvodina" has demanded immediate removal from position of a member of the Managing Board of Radio-Televisio of Vojvodina, Dalibor Bubnjevic, who took part in promotion of a book written by the leader of the banned neo-Nazi organization "Nacionalni Stroj".
(Pravda, 06/06/2011)

The Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) has published the last public contest for issuance of licenses for broadcasting of radio programme in local areas with correctly filled applications submitted before the application deadline. Criteria for issuance of broadcasting licenses have been published.
(RRA, 06/06/2011)

Media trade unions

Trade Union of the Public Company Radio-Television Kragujevac, "Nezavisnost" ("Independence"), announced its intention to organize an one-hour warning strike because of "low salaries, debts toward the employees, violations of the Collective Contract and abuse aimed at members of the trade union". According to the trade union, the employer and the station's founder, the City of Kragujevac, have not demonstrated willingness to begin negotiations with trade unions in order to solve the numerous problems.
(Beta, Pregled, Danas, Pravda, 26.05.2011)

Issue No. 5
May 25 – June 08, 2011

Abbreviations