Through the support of the European Union and the Council of Europe, the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media in Serbia (REM) was provided with analysis of the requirements of the Audio-visual Media Services Directive (AVMSD), and emerging EU legislation such as the Digital Services Act and the proposed European Media Freedom Act.
Preparation for membership in the EU also involves a broader alignment with general principles and standards promoted by the AVMS Directive (many of which will be included in the forthcoming European Media Freedom Act), and therefore also the standards of the Council of Europe. The Study represents a policy document of strategic nature for REM, providing the necessary guidance on revision of internal rules and procedures that REM ought to implement to fully align with European standards. The key aspects are the protection and promotion of freedom of expression; the prohibition of incitement to hatred and incitement to violence; the independence of the national regulatory authority; transparency of media ownership, and legal safeguards for the independent functioning of public service media.
The Study was prepared under the action “Protecting freedom of expression and of the media (PROFREX) in Serbia”, which is part of the joint European Union and the Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”.
Study on Serbia's Regulatory Authority’s legal framework and its alignment with European standards