(ANEM/IFEX) – The following is an ANEM statement: PARLIAMENT INFLICTS IRREPERABLE HARM TO BROADCAST SECTOR BELGRADE, September 29, 2006 – The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) is deeply concerned and disappointed with the decision of the Serbian Parliament to re-adopt the amendments to the Broadcast Act, disapproved by the Serbian President Boris Tadic on […]
(ANEM/IFEX) – The following is an ANEM statement:
PARLIAMENT INFLICTS IRREPERABLE HARM TO BROADCAST SECTOR
BELGRADE, September 29, 2006 – The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) is deeply concerned and disappointed with the decision of the Serbian Parliament to re-adopt the amendments to the Broadcast Act, disapproved by the Serbian President Boris Tadic on July 26, 2006, and despite the protests of media, professional organizations and public experts.
The same Parliament amended the Act three times already, each time urgently, without any public consultation and ignoring the propositions of public experts and media associations.
ANEM notes that even certain supposed “solutions” offered by the adopted amendments, which seemed credible at first, completely miss the point. For example, even if enormously high fees for radio program broadcasting are reduced, the core problem is still ignored, because radio and TV fees are set so high by legal requirement and are generally used as an instrument for filling up of the state budget, not as a means to ensure stable financing of the independent regulatory body.
The provision giving the Serbian Government the power to approve the financial plan of the Broadcast Agency, instead of the Parliament, is also unacceptable. Such an arrangement challenges the true independence of the Agency. Furthermore, the amendments deny the Supreme Court the opportunity to suspend the execution of decisions of the Broadcast Agency until the Court responds to the complaints filed against these decisions. This deprives broadcasters of the last remaining efficient legal instrument previously available to them in this process.
By ignoring the needs of the broadcast sector in Serbia, we keep moving in an eternal circle where the Act can be amended each summer with one-off shortcuts, without really solving the problems. Each new amendment brings new unacceptable “solutions” which will later be the target of future changes.
At some point, the authorities will have to recognize the need to approach the amendments to this sector responsibly, with due respect for the opinions of the widest range of stakeholders. The only question is how much damage will have already been done by then.
Sasa Mirkovic,
ANEM Chairman