The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS)

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS), with support from the Civil Rights Defenders and the Media Legal Defence Initiative (MLDI), has begun cooperation with the legal office Zivkovic & Samardzic which will offer NUNS members legal advice related to violation of professional right of journalists and which will represent the association's member before courts.
(NUNS Newsletter, No. 0016)

Journalistic trade unions

The President of the Journalists' Union of Serbia, Dragana Cabarkapa, says: "The media employees do not need a media strategy, but laws and collective contracts. Collective contracts are the best way to protect labor and professional rights. In Serbia, there are no industry-wide collective contracts. At the same time, there is no dialog between employers' associations and trade unions because it is being obstructed by renowned journalists from six "relevant" organizations and associations. EU member countries do not adopt media strategies, but media laws. Two crucial laws, about the transparency of ownership in the media and media concentration, have not been mentioned in any of the 18 sections of the Action Plan for implementation of the strategy. The last year's discussion about the Media Study insisted on adoption of these two laws; the Study was prepared by European experts, but was not adopted due to the boycott by the Media Association. The representatives of this association – who are at the same time members of other 'relevant associations' – participated in the preparation of the draft media strategy. However, the strategy does not even mention labor-related issues."
(Danas, 13.07.2011)

The Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA)

The Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) was founded on 9 July 2003. The Council of the RRA has decided to celebrate the day as the Day of the Agency.
(RRA, 09.07.2011)

Ivan Ivanovic's inappropriate jokes about Croatia will not result in court proceedings because the Council of the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) has decided that the TV host's words did not contain hate speech and that he did not violate the Broadcasting Law. Still, on the basis of a complaint filed by the RRA, the court has for the first time sentenced a TV station – TV Pink – to pay a fine in the amount of 750,000 dinars for the programme "Trenutak Istine" ("The Moment of Truth").
(RRA, 13.07.2011, Tanjug, Pravda Blic, Politika, Danas, Kurir, Vecernje Novosti, 24 sata, Dnevnik,14.07.2011, Blic, Dnevnik, 15.07.2011)

The Council of the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) has issued a statement and called on all cable operators to offer regional and local broadcasters' programme to their customers in licensed territories of those broadcasters. Considering the lack of legal authority to regulate this area by mandatory regulations, the Council will contact the Ministry of Culture with the aim to establish an appropriate model before the adoption of new media laws, in accordance with European best practice.
(RRA, 13.07. 2011)

Telecommunications company Digi Sat d.o.o Belgrade has joined the initiative launched by Channel 9 from Novi Sad and supported by the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS), according to which distributors of media content would be obliged to transmit programmes of TV stations that possess a terrestrial broadcasting license in the territories where such licenses are valid. They point out that the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) has a legal possibility of making this obligation mandatory on the basis of the Article 101 of the Law on Telecommunications which is entitled 'The Obligation to Transmit'.
(UNS, 18.07.2011)

The ownership structure of all national broadcasters will be shortly published on the web site of the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) in accordance with the decision adopted by the Council of the RRA.
(RRA,13.07.2011)

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS)

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) gave its support to the proposal put forward by the TV station Channel 9 from Novi Sad, that the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) and the Republic Agency for Electronic Communications (RATEL) should oblige cable operators to transmit via their systems the programmes of TV stations which have valid broadcasting licenses, in territories covered by those licenses. The Association reminded that on July 5, cable operator SBB stopped transmitting the programme of the TV station Channel 9. Regardless of the fact that Channel 9 has a broadcasting license and that it pays its obligations to the government, the station cannot access its viewers in Novi Sad any more because more than 50 percent of the households use the SBB cable network.
(Politika, Dnevnik, 13.07.2011, Pravda, Politika, 15.07.2011)

The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)

The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) is of the opinion that it is unacceptable for local cable operators to stop transmitting the programme of TV VK from Kikinda and Channel 9 from Novi Sad, justifying this move by economic or technical reasons. In this way, cable operators have become a bottleneck and a limiting factor in relation to the citizens' right to have access to a wide and varied selection of media content.
(Pravda, 16.07.2011)

The Republic Agency for Electronic Communications (RATEL)

The Republic Agency for Electronic Communications (RATEL) has continued to develop and advance its cooperation with regulatory bodies in neighboring countries. Cooperation, as defined by signed memorandums on understanding, includes regular exchange of information related to development of policy and strategies in the field of electronic communications, as well as meetings of experts aimed at analyzing and comparing technical, legal and other aspects of national regulatory activities.
(RATEL, 13.07.2011)

The Ministry of Culture, Informing and Information Society has delivered the Republic Agency for Electronic Communications (RATEL) its opinion on the implementation of the Instruction with Elements of Technical Solutions for Radio Communication Services which is a part of the Rulebook on Forms for Requests for Issuance of Individual Licenses for Radio Frequencies. In the process of issuing individual licenses for usage of radio frequencies, RATEL will act in accordance with the opinion of the relevant Ministry.
(RATEL, 13.07.2011)

Most of the television stations with national broadcasting licenses broadcast advertisements with sound that is louder than their other programmes, shows the research conducted by the Control Service of the Republic Agency for Electronic Communications (RATEL) at the request of the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA). RATEL has informed these stations about the results of the report and asked them to rectify the irregularities or be penalized.
(Danas, 16.07.2011, TANJUG, Politika, 16.07.2011, Politika, 18.07.2011)

Issue No. 8
07-20 July 2011

Abbreviations