"Government still trying to save Tanjug" - report

"Government still trying to save Tanjug" - report

They "pointed out that in spite of the order to shut Tanjug, whose employees will work until the end of November, down, the government has appraised that an effort should be made to find a solution."

"It would be ideal to find a buyer, so the time until the end of the month will be used for that," the paper's source said.

However, it remains unclear why a buyer has not already been found, it there are interested parties. Two attempts to sell the 72-year-old agency failed earlier this year.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic strongly criticized Minister of Culture Ivana Tasovac over the closure of Tanjug.

Tasovac then reacted by confirming that Vucic was against it, but, as he pointed out, Vucic was "not against upholding the law," and added that "everything will be according to the law, at least until he servedsas minister."

Tasovac said that new media laws were adopted in August 2014 and that the media had a full 15 months for the privatization process.

"People in Tanjug and other state media had the same amount of time to find a buyer, or at least a privatization advisor. They had exactly that long to, if nothing else, at least submit a request, within the deadline, to the Privatization Agency to organize the distribution of free shares," said Tasovac and pointed out that "the now scandalized journalist association" could have helped with that.

The British daily Guardian yesterday reported about the closure of Tanjug after 72 years, calling it "a historic agency."