The Council of Europe's Recommendation CM/Rec(2022)11 on principles for media and communication governance advises member states to ensure that media content, including content produced for economic or political gain, complies with Council of Europe standards.

This is particularly important when such content reaches significant size or impact. States should clearly define illegal content in laws and address harmful yet legal content through co-regulatory measures, ensuring that such content does not harm minors or infringe on others' rights, while upholding Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects freedom of expression.

A capacity building exercise was organised for professional staff of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic media in Serbia (REM), with a focus on commercial communications and possibilities for co-regulation and self-regulation in various areas. It provided an overview of the European regulatory framework, focusing on definitions, types, and general rules of audiovisual commercial communications under the EU Audio-Visual Media Services Directive (AVMSD 2018). Key discussions included specific regulations for foods and beverages with certain nutritional components and the protection of minors in advertising. The event was attended by the representatives of the Ministry for Information and Telecommunication and the Ministry for Trade in Serbia and concluded with an overview and discussion on good practices in the regulation and co-regulation of commercial advertisements.

The event  was organised by the Division for Cooperation on Freedom of Expression, through the action “Protecting freedom of expression and of the media in Serbia (PROFREX)”, which is part of the joint European Union - Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”.”