Balkan Insight: Political Influence Remains Major Challenge to Balkan Media Freedom: Report

By: Borislav Visnjic

Political influence over the media remains stubbornly present in the Balkans both within EU member states and in accession candidate countries, says a new report by a Brussels-based independent organisation, the Balkan Free Media Initiative, which was published on Wednesday.

The BFMI report, ‘The Invisible Hand of Media Censorship in the Balkans’, says that across southeast Europe, the news media is in a state of transition and turmoil.

“The new European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) is falling short in the Balkans, one of the most challenging environments for media independence in Europe. There are doubts around the will and the ability of national regulators to fully enforce the Act’s provisions. And the Act itself needs strengthening if Brussels’ laudable ambitions for improved media freedom are to be met,” the report argues.

The BFMI’s director, Antoinette Nikolova, says murky, politically connected media ownership and state censorship are common problems in the region.

“If the Balkans lose, Europe loses as well. The region occupy a strategic geographical position and act as a crossroads of influence. Russia acts not only directly through the Balkans but also via figures like the Hungarian PM Viktor Orban, who exerts media influence in Slovenia, North Macedonia, and other areas,” Nikolova told BIRN.