07/11/2013 Culture, Science, Education and Media
Strasbourg, 07.11.2013 – Parliamentarians from Serbia and from PACE have jointly called on Council of Europe ministers to reinforce their action to improve media freedom throughout Europe and keep journalists safe.
Meeting yesterday in the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia on the occasion of the Council of Europe ministerial conference on media and information society, the Committee on Culture and Information of the National Assembly and the Sub-Committee on Media and Information Society of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) held hearings on the protection of media freedom and priorities for audiovisual media policy.
In conclusion, both committees:
- expressed their gratitude to the National Assembly of Serbia for having hosted this joint meeting,
- appreciated that a parliamentary dimension has thus been added to the ministerial conference in Belgrade on 7-8 November,
- emphasised the vital importance of media freedom for democracy and regretted that this freedom was frequently challenged in Europe,
- encouraged the ministers participating in the Belgrade conference as well as the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to reinforce their action within the Council of Europe to improve media freedom throughout Europe and to take action for the safety of journalists,
- supported the independence and financial sustainability of public service broadcasting as well as community media as essential elements of the media landscape in a democratic society.