MEPs Sandro Gozi and Vladimir Prebilic called for European Union action over the change of ownership of Adria News Network (ANN), which operates N1, Nova, Danas daily and Radar weekly.
Oglas
Their joint statementaddressed the fallout from the acquisition by European Future Media Investments, linked to Alpac Capital, and come just days before Serbia's October 25 early parliamentary elections.
The asked the European Commission how developments at the news outlets will affect Serbia's EU accession process and whether the Commission will request an opinion from the European Board for Media Services under the European Media Freedom Act.
Theu also sent a letter to Luxembourg's Minister for Media and Connectivity, Elisabeth Margue, whose government must approve the change of control of N1 and Nova S, seeking information on the transaction's timeline, financing and safeguards for editorial independence, as well as confirmation that Luxembourg remains the competent EU member state for the channels.
They sent a second letter to the European Board for Media Services Chair Amma Asante, asking the board to issue an opinion on the transaction and recommend legally enforceable guarantees of editorial independence.
Gozi, secretary-general of the European Democratic Party, said the timing of the changes, shortly before the election, raised concerns about the future of independent journalism in Serbia. Prebilic, a member of the European Parliament's EU-Serbia Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee, said the developments also had implications for the EU enlargement process, given ANN's regional operations in Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia.
The initiatives follow the appointment of Alpac Capital's chief executive as director of the Serbian companies operating the outlets on August 17. Ten N1 journalists resigned on October 16 amid tensions in the newsroom.
Teme