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Supporting media freedom in Serbia in relation to the EU accession process

We are delighted to announce the launch of a project focused on support for independent Serbian journalists reporting on Serbia’s EU integration process, its obstacles in the field of democratic governance, and the rule of law and fundamental rights and freedoms, including the freedom of media. The project is supported by the Transition Promotion Program of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and implemented together with the Centre for Contemporary Politics from Serbia.

Projects

28. January 2021

The goal of the project is to support independent journalists reporting on Serbia’s EU integration process, focusing on its most significant obstacles - the state of democracy, human rights, including minority rights, and the rule of law. These are the key principles of the democratization process, and therefore an essential part of the country's political and social transformation. The project responds to the deteriorating state of freedom of media in Serbia and the growing restrictions and threats against independent journalists operating in the country. The implementation of the project will strengthen the capacity of independent journalists to report on the accession process and its main obstacles. The project will also facilitate a transfer of the Czech experience in communicating EU-related issues to the general public in an informative and attractive way. The second objective of the project is to raise awareness and provide a better access to objective information on Serbia's EU accession process and the crucial issues which are currently hampering the process, including the critical situation of independent media in Serbia. This endeavour builds on the positive outcomes achieved from an already implemented one-year TRANS project undertaken by EUROPEUM. The implementation of the project will further contribute to the discussion about the Czech foreign policy priorities and the Czech presidency of the Council of the EU in autumn 2022, with EU enlargement and support for regional transformation typically at the forefront of the position.

Activities in the project:

Publication of articles on EWB and republishing in other media (January 2021 – December 2022)

March 2021

Filip Lukić: Inter-party dialogue is a test for Serbia’s democratic development within the EU accession process | Međustranački dijalog je test za demokratski razvoj Srbije u procesu pristupanja EU (English, Serbian)

May 2021

Stefan Marković: Will the European Parliament help solve the biggest corruption scandals in Serbia? l Hoće li Evropski parlament uticati na rešavanje najvećih afera u Srbiji? (English, Serbian)
Marija Stojanović: Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media: The key for media freedom and Inter-Party Dialogue in Serbia I REM kao ključ slobode medija i međustranačkog dijaloga (English, Serbian)

September 2021

Divna Prusac: Processing war crimes important for Serbia’s EU accession | Odnos prema ratnim zločinima važan za pristupanje Srbije Evropskoj uniji (English, Serbian)

October 2021

Mateja Agatonović: Public procurement and interstate agreements: How is the money of Serbian citizens spent? | Javne nabavke i međudržavni sporazumi: Kako se troši novac građana Srbije? (English, Serbian)

December 2021

Mihailo Gajić, “Some progress” in Serbian economy, but several questions remain (English, Serbian)
Milena Ilić Mirković, Serbia as an ecological blind spot of Europe, what is needed for harmonization with the EU? (English, Serbian)
Aleksandra Popović, Opening of the “green” Cluster – Proof of progress or an undeserved award for Serbia? (English, Serbian)
Filip Švarm, European Commission Report on media freedom in Serbia: Progress detected through a microscope (English, Serbian)
Sanja Petrov, Delay in the adoption of the Law on Same-Sex Unions in Serbia a consequence of lack of political will (English, Serbian)

September 2022

Aleksandra Popović, Slim chances for Serbia’s progress towards the EU by year’s end, relationship with Russia the biggest problem (E nglish, S erbian)

November 2022

Vojislav Milovančević, Kosovo and sanctions not the only obstacles: Lack of rule of law paralyzes Serbia on its EU path (E nglish, S erbian)
Mateja Agatonović, How much money Serbia receives from the EU an how much it risks to lose? (E nglish, S erbian)

December 2022

Darija Stjepić, Serbia’s Media strategy: Path towards media freedom or a front for the EU? (E nglish, S erbian)
Jovana Tomić, Serbia still without an Anti-corruption Strategy: Technical issue or proof of lack of political will? (E nglish, S erbian)
Milena Ilić Mirković, Bad results after opening Cluster 4: Environment in Serbia awaits abandonment of coal and staff increase (E nglish, S erbian)
Jelena Jorgačević Kisić, Decision on the 5th national television frequency in Serbia: Capture of REM as a mirror of captured society (E nglish, S erbian)
Katarina Sremčević, Judicial reforms after the change of the Serbian Constitution: Potential for both reduction and institutionalization of political influence on the judiciary (E nglish, S erbian)
Sanja Petrov, Will participation in the Census improve the position of the Albanian minority in Serbia? (E nglish, S erbian)
Radvan Balać, Withdrawal of the Draft Law on Internal Affairs in Serbia: The Prime Minister’s Gambit (English, S erbian)

Online coordination meeting of the project team (January – February 2021)

Online workshop with Czech journalists and experts for Serbian journalists and CSOs focusing on EU accession process and issues under chapters 23 and 24 (March – May 2021)

REPORT: Workshop for Serbian journalist and civil society representatives in the project “Supporting media freedom in Serbia in relation to the EU accession process”

Handbook for journalists and CSOs on reporting on EU issues and accession process (June – September 2021)

HANDBOOK: Handbook for Reporting on EU accession: Czech Lessons for Serbia (English, Serbian)

Online presentation of the handbook at a closed discussion (September – October 2021)

Roundtable in Prague/online on freedom of media, democracy and rule of law in the context of Serbia’s EU accession process (and the prospects of speeding up the process under the upcoming CZ EU PRES in autumn 2022) (November – December 2021)

REPORT: Online roundtable discussion: Media freedom in Serbia and the Western Balkans and its role in democratic society and European integration

A 3-day trip to Brussels and meetings/online workshop with EU correspondents and Brussels-based journalists and 5 selected Serbian journalists + 1 CSP coordinator and 1 EUROPEUM coordinator (January – March 2022)

A roundtable discussion in Brussels/online on media freedom and state of democracy in Serbia in the context of the EU accession process – with representatives from EU institutions, think tanks, media etc. (January – March 2022)

Policy paper towards Czech (CZ EU PRES) and EU stakeholders based on the discussions in Brussels (April – June 2022)

Public event in Belgrade/online with presentation of the project and evaluating the progress of Serbia in the EU accession process with regard to rule of law, democracy, fundamental rights etc. (July – September 2022)

Public event in Prague/online presenting the project, outputs and discussing the current state of Serbia’s EU accession and issues under chapters 23 and 24 more generally (October – December 2022)