The Balkan Free Media Initiative - Statement on Media Freedom in Serbia
The intentional exclusion of European journalists from Serbia, by refusing them entry at the border to report on the protests, constitutes a grave breach of press freedom. These measures, alongside physical assaults on journalists covering the protests, reveal a concerted campaign to stifle independent reporting and mute dissenting voices.
Furthermore, the coordinated obstruction of television channel N1, directed by senior political figures and government-aligned activists, underscores flagrant contempt for media liberty and the Rule of Law—the very ideals being fought for by the 300,000 strong group of protesters.
Such actions are emblematic of a wider, state-orchestrated trend of antagonism toward independent media, marked by intimidation, threats, violence, and slanderous attacks from the highest echelons of power.
These behaviors are in direct opposition to the fundamental tenets of European and international law, including the European Media Freedom Act (Regulation EU 2024/1083), which unequivocally forbids government meddling in editorial independence and requires the safeguarding of journalistic sources.
Compliance with these essential standards is critical for Serbia’s ambitions to join the European Union.
The Balkan Free Media Initiative acknowledges the European Commission’s recent call for a thorough inquiry into these disturbing incidents. Yet, after years of optimistic rhetoric and appeals for discussion that have produced scant results, such declarations are increasingly hollow.
“We call on the Commission, and in particular EC President Ursula von der Leyen, who is due to confer with the Serbian president this week, to take a stronger, more unequivocal position, establishing the protection of media freedom as an absolute prerequisite for Serbia’s path to EU membership. ”
Serbian officials must promptly cease all acts of coercion, aggression, and obstruction against journalists, including violence during protests and the barring of European journalists at the border. Tangible measures are needed to protect media independence, guarantee the safety of journalists, and ensure accountability for those responsible; failure to do so jeopardizes the integrity of the European integration process.
The capacity of journalists—whether local or international—to operate freely, without fear of violence, exclusion, or intimidation, is a bedrock of democracy.
Serbia stands at a crossroads: it must either uphold and defend media freedom or face further degradation of its democratic legitimacy and global reputation.
The Balkan Free Media Initiative urges Serbian authorities and the European Institutions to make an unwavering commitment to safeguarding media freedom as a foundation for democratic progress and stability in the region. Without swift and resolute action, the democratic hopes of the Serbian people, so vividly articulated during the Belgrade protests, will remain subjugated.
