Media to receive state help in crisis

The government has announced that the media will also be receiving financial aid to help it weather the world economic crisis. Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic said that a package of aid measures to the media would be adopted within the next fortnight. Media to receive state help in crisis The media is the second sector to come in for state assistance after industry, government officials stated. Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic will hold a meeting next week to decide on how best to help the media. Even though certain proposals are already on the table, Djelic did not want to get into details before any tangible measures were approved. “We know that the budget is very tight. We will look at all possibilities. We know that the working groups, where the media itself was represented, have a list of proposals,” the minister said. “I would not like to speak about the measures now, but I suggest we wait for the meeting that we will have next week, and after that we’ll have consultations with the media and adopt the measures,” he said. At the meeting on the issue, government officials also discussed various pressures being exerted on the media. Labelling these pressures “unacceptable,” the government warned that any threat towards the media would be handled by the state bodies responsible for such problems. Djelic said that the ministries had not dealt specifically with the threats made by the Port of Belgrade’s lawyers to TV B92, but used that example as an illustration. “That was an illustration, but we did not discuss that case specifically. That case is a case where, if it has the elements I was talking about, we expect either one or both sides to present them to the authorities to deal with it,” he said. The government also adopted a draft law on regional development, which would see Serbia split up into seven regions. This draft law has been submitted to parliament for immediate adoption. Bozidar Djelic (FoNet, archive)

Media to receive state help in crisis

The media is the second sector to come in for state assistance after industry, government officials stated.

Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković will hold a meeting next week to decide on how best to help the media.

Even though certain proposals are already on the table, Đelić did not want to get into details before any tangible measures were approved.

“We know that the budget is very tight. We will look at all possibilities. We know that the working groups, where the media itself was represented, have a list of proposals,” the minister said.

“I would not like to speak about the measures now, but I suggest we wait for the meeting that we will have next week, and after that we’ll have consultations with the media and adopt the measures,” he said.

At the meeting on the issue, government officials also discussed various pressures being exerted on the media.

Labelling these pressures “unacceptable,” the government warned that any threat towards the media would be handled by the state bodies responsible for such problems.

Đelić said that the ministries had not dealt specifically with the threats made by the Port of Belgrade’s lawyers to TV B92, but used that example as an illustration.

“That was an illustration, but we did not discuss that case specifically. That case is a case where, if it has the elements I was talking about, we expect either one or both sides to present them to the authorities to deal with it,” he said.

The government also adopted a draft law on regional development, which would see Serbia split up into seven regions. This draft law has been submitted to parliament for immediate adoption.