BRUSSELS – Spokesman Guillaume Mercier said on Wednesday for N1 that the European Commission is following the developments regarding this media outlet.
Journalists and citizens gathered on 7 April in front of the N1 television to protest the removal of Igor Božić as the television’s top editor.
Božić was removed this week following the reorganisation of the management of the media portfolio of the company United Group in the Balkans. Critics believe that the Serbian government may have struck a behind-the-scenes deal with the majority owners of United Group, investment fund BC Partners.
“We are following the latest developments in the context of EU accession negotiations with Serbia,” Mercier said in a written statement.
“We have made it repeatedly clear to Serbian authorities that media freedom and pluralism are essential foundations of a democratic society and a fundamental right in the EU. These are crucial for a candidate country to respect in order to progress on its EU path.
This includes the protection of editorial independence, which is among the key principles of the European Media Freedom Act as part of the EU acquis, and with which candidate countries are expected to align their legislation and fully implement in practice,” he added.
Mercier said that iIndependent media need to be able to exercise their role as a watchdog to increase transparency and accountability of the functions of public figures and institutions.
Meanwhile, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) released a statement on 7 April in which it strongly condemed the dismissal of Božić.
“His eviction which follows the restructuring of the remaining independent newsrooms within United Media Group, under the Adria News Network signals alarming developments for the future of independent journalism in the region”, EFJ statement reads.
According to the statement, Božić’s removal clearly contradicts the stated intentions of Brent Sadler, the new executive director responsible for UG media, to preserve N1 from political interference and build trust among the employees, who have been fearful over the past months for their positions and the future of their newsroom.
