Back Enhancing media pluralism: Serbia's new by-laws

Enhancing media pluralism: Serbia's new by-laws

In today’s digital age where the media shapes societal perceptions, effective regulatory frameworks are paramount. With the support of the European Union and the Council of Europe, the Serbian Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) recently introduced Rulebooks (by-laws) which aim to bolster human rights protection, safeguard minors, regulate election-related content, ensure accessibility, and promote local cultural content.

Strengthening pluralism and diversity of information

The Rulebook on protecting human rights fosters media pluralism and diversity of information. Strengthened provisions within this framework aim to safeguard individuals' rights to access diverse sources of information, thus mitigating the risks of information monopolisation and promoting a more inclusive media landscape.

Enhanced protection for minors and privacy

The updated Rulebook introduces better privacy protection and more refined categorisation of programme content to shield minors from potentially harmful or inappropriate content. Such initiatives not only align with international standards for child protection in media but also reflect a proactive approach towards addressing emerging challenges in the digital age.

Regulating media conduct during elections

The Rulebook on the conduct of media service providers during election campaigns seek to uphold the integrity of electoral processes by defining political advertisement and imposing limitations on political advertising.

Advancing accessibility for persons with disabilities

The introduction of the Rulebook on the availability of content to persons with hearing or vision impairments represents a commendable step towards enhancing media accessibility. Transitioning from a non-binding recommendation to a legally binding provision, this Rulebook mandates the availability of accessible content, thereby promoting inclusivity and equal access to information.

Regulating video content exchange platforms

The new Rulebook on mandatory measures of service providers of video content exchange platforms aims to mitigate the proliferation of harmful or inappropriate content online.

The amendment of the Rulebooks introduced by the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media  was supported through the action “Protecting freedom of expression and of the media in Serbia (PROFREX)”, implemented by the Council of Europe’s Division for Co-operation on Freedom of Expression, which is part of the joint European Union - Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”.

Belgrade 15 May 2024
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The action “Protecting freedom of expression and of the media in Serbia (PRO-FREX)" enables the beneficiary institutions and civil society organisations in Serbia to progress towards meeting their reform agendas in the field of freedom of expression and freedom of media, in line with the European standards.

It aims at contributing to an improved environment for the exercise, in particular by journalists and media actors, of their rights of freedom of expression, in a more pluralistic and safer media environment, in line with the standards as set by Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights.

This action is implemented within the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” running from 2023 until 2026.


What are the goals and objectives of the action?

  • to promote freedom of expression and freedom of the media and to improve the application of European standards
  • to enhance the protection of journalists and contribute to the creation of an enabling, safer and more pluralistic media environment
  • to strengthen the skills and knowledge of the actors who are responsible for applying such standards as part of their daily work


Who benefits from the action?

  • independent authorities in the field of media regulation (Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media) and access to information (Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Protection of Personal Data) and their staff
  • associations of journalists and media actors
  • professionals such as judges, prosecutors, police officers, lawyers, broadcasters, journalists, other media actors, university students
  • the society of Serbia


How does the action work?

  • through the provision of legal advice to improve the alignment of legal and regulatory frameworks to the relevant European standards
  • by promotion and production of research and policy support
  • through awareness-raising events among duty bearers and rights holders of the relevant European standards
  • through capacity-building activities for the various professional categories, anchored in the European standards and the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)
  • by facilitating regional dialogue and exchange of good practices, in synergy with the regional action


What do we expect to achieve?

  • the employees of the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Protection of Personal Data will reflect in their work an improved knowledge of the European Convention on Human Rights and the ECtHR case-law, related to access to information and protection of private and family life (personal data)
  • professional capacities of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media employees will be further strengthened, on the revised EU Audio-visual Media Services Directive and its enhanced standards on the protection of minors, audio-visual commercial communication, media literacy, harmful content, hate speech, and the ECtHR jurisprudence
  • journalists will strengthen their knowledge on domestic legal mechanisms and the ECtHR procedures, in terms of addressing threats and attacks; this will be supported with development of recommendations on how to address the strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP)
  • the society at large in Serbia will benefit from an improved environment for the exercise of their rights to freedom of expression and access to information


What is the budget of the action?

The total budget of the action is 720 000 EUR.

The budget allocated to the overall Horizontal Facility programme amounts to ca. 41 million EUR (85% funded by the European Union, 15% by the Council of Europe).


How to get more information?


About Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye

The “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” is a joint initiative of the European Union and the Council of Europe that enables the Western Balkans Beneficiaries and Türkiye to meet their reform agendas in the fields of human rights, rule of law and democracy and to comply with the European standards, which is also a priority for the EU enlargement process.