Giaufret: Serbia Must Strengthen Media Standards

Emanuele Giaufret (BETAPHOTO/MILAN OBRADOVIC)

Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Serbia Emanuele Giaufret said on Nov. 1 that Serbia, as an EU candidate country, must strengthen media standards to ensure a professional, ethical, and independent media environment.

"As a prerequisite, journalists must feel safe while doing their job," Giaufret told reporters in Belgrade on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists.

According to the EU ambassador, Serbia must fully implement the reforms in the media sector that it launched exactly one year ago, with amendments to media laws. The country also needs to ensure transparent co-financing of the media and transparency in media ownership, Giaufret said, adding that the budgets for co-financing had been significantly reduced this year.

Head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission to Serbia Jan Braathu said that Serbia had committed itself to taking effective measures to stop impunity regarding crimes against journalists. "I will continue to remind, and we will keep reminding the Serbian authorities of this obligation. The authorities must always respect the safety of journalists, always condemn all attacks on journalists, and must be careful about how they speak about journalists and media workers," Braathu said.