Tanjug's status to be resolved very soon - minister

Tanjug's status to be resolved very soon - minister

There are proposed solutions for Tanjug's status, Vukosavljevic told Pink TV on Tuesday, but declined to prejudge the outcome, Tanjug reported.

The state news agency, which legally ceased to exist on October 21, 2015 - after two failed attempts to sell it - continues to operate.

"Tanjug's status is relatively legally vague. That will be resolved very quickly, they are neither here nor there when it comes to their legal status. Tanjug is a very important institution of this society," Vukosavljevic said, adding that the agency has a long tradition, while its business is currently successful.

The minister noted that there are exceptions in the EU as well when it comes to withdrawing the state from media ownership, and mentioned Agence France Presse, the BBC, and news agencies in Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and France.

Serbia, regardless of who is in power, has the need to explain and inform its citizens, the region, and the world, about its business, economy, culture, and agriculture, he said.

"To expose the complete media potential to the ruthless market laws leads to the risk of the media going under. It's very important for the state to have the possibility to inform its own and international public about the going-on in the country," Vukosavljevic said.