Donor: EU – IPA
Budget: 1,073,800 €
Project Description:
The project aims at enforcing the freedom of expression, democratisation of media and application of EU standards in the media field. It will support implementation of the “Strategy for Public Information System Development in the Republic of Serbia by 2016” (The Media Strategy). The project will concentrate on aligning national media legislation with EU Directives and standards. In addition, a grant scheme will be provided to support independence and increase professionalism of journalists and other media professionals.
The technical assistance will support the Ministry of Culture and Information in drafting legal framework envisaged in the Action plan od the Media Strategy, as well as in the implementation of the newly harmonized legal framework through tailored trainings of key stakeholders (line ministries, regulatory and self-regulatory bodies, media industry and associations’ representatives, journalists, etc.) and monitoring of stages of implementation of the Media Strategy Action Plan. Moreover, the technical assistance will support the management of the Media Fund grant scheme of EUR 1,8 million envisaged for the development of investigative reporting in the domain of the rule of law. Grant scheme is designed to strengthen the freedom of expression and to improve professionalism of journalists and media professionals, and the target groups are local, regional and national print, broadcast and online media, news agencies, journalists and their professional associations.
The overall objective of the project is the respect of freedom of expression and successful implementation of EU media directives and standards.
The purpose of the project is to support the implementation of the Media Strategy and related Action plan and to increase professionalism of journalists and media professionals through harmonization of legal framework and support of rule of law and freedom of expression.
The contract will be implemented through two components, related to the following project results:
Result 1: Legal framework in the media sector prepared to be aligned with EU standards according to the Media Strategy and action plan, key stakeholders consulted and trained on the new legal framework and support provided with implementation of the new laws.
Result 2: Strengthened freedom of expression and increased professionalism of journalists and other media professionals by improving quality and relevance of media programmes, corresponding to the needs of a democratic society for accurate, professional and objective information.
For more information about this project, please contact EPTISA’s Regional Office for Southeast Europe at: eptisasee@eptisa.com