EU Role in Promoting Freedom of Expression

Ongoing projects

The Project will be implemented by the European Endowment for Democracy (EED)

2,400,000 EUR;  June 2020 to May 2023

The EED provides flexible support to media, and is demand-driven responding to needs on the ground. This EU funding channelled via the EED to Serbian media will be provided in line with the usual efficient decision-making mechanisms of EED, ensuring that grants of varying sizes and durations can be provided to those media who most need them.

• Wide range of media in Serbia, including small, start-up and local-based media initiatives, also digital;
• Larger, professional media outlets based in Serbia who are facing particular challenges because of the COVID-19 pandemic;
• Journalists, writers, and influencers, including bloggers and social media activists, based in Serbia.

Expected results

• Media enabled to overcome the consequences of the COVID 19 pandemics;
• Preservation of media plurality and support to innovation and innovative business models;
• Support to audience creation and countering disinformation.

• Core and Institutional Funding for media actors who adhere to the Code of Ethics for Journalism;
• Support to bridge temporary gaps in funding
• Rapid response funding in case of crises (such as COVID crisis consequence)
• Start-up funding (to new, local, alternati ve and/or media actors)
• Start-up funding (for individual activities of an existing media organisation or actor)
• Organisation of programmes for journalists, representatives of the relevant authorities, civil society and academia on a range of issues relevant to the freedom of expression and the professional and digital development of media.

“Support to Media Reforms in the Republic of Serbia: Technical assistance to public broadcasting services RTS and RTV and support to media literacy”

697,200.00 EUR;  February 2018 to December 2020

• Radio Television of Serbia (RTS)
• Radio Television of Vojvodina (RTV)

Expected results

• Support to RTS and RTV.
• Support to media literacy.
• Support to grant monitoring.

• In-house trainings with experts.
• Study visits to Denmark and United Kingdom.
• Establishment of the Working Group for Media Literacy (WGML).
• Draft handbook on media literacy prepared by WGML.

299,923.41 EUR;  July 2019 to July 2022

• Strengthening the capacity of the Press Council to process complaints in a transparent, timely and professional manner.
• Providing instructions and assistance to complainants when necessary.
• Mediating between citizens and newsrooms to resolve complaints.
• Efficiently resolving complaints as well as promoting the Journalist’s Code of Ethics.

• Press Council

Activities

• Guidance and training on processing complaints;
• Training and on the job training.
• Awareness raising an media activity on ethics in Journalism.

Under the joint programme of the Council of Europe and the European Union “Horizontal Facility for Western Balkans and Turkey II”                                                                  

585.000 EUR; May 2019 to May 2022

• Legal professionals – judges, prosecutors, lawyers and police officers improve application of the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights case-law on freedom of expression.
• Professional capacities of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media are further strengthened.
• Faculty of Political Sciences and other relevant partners contribute to an enabling environment for freedom of expression and freedom of the media.

• Training institutions for legal professionals (Judicial Academy and Bar Association of Serbia)
• Ministry of Interior
• Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media
• Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Belgrade
• Judges, prosecutors, police officers, lawyers
• Students
• Through strengthened freedom of expression and freedom of the media and ensured right to seek, impart and receive information, citizens of Serbia will be able to genuinely participate in democratic processes.

• The Action builds upon a previous EU/CoE Regional Joint Programme Reinforcing Judicial Expertise on Freedom of Expression and the Media in South-East Europe (JUFREX).
• The capacity building activities for the various professional categories adopt a dynamic methodology for adult learning and peer-to-peer model.
• The action uses an inclusive approach in order to generate dialog between the different actors and relevant stakeholders.
• The strong interconnection between JUFREX Regional Action and JUFREX Action in Serbia ensures strengthened co-operation, exchange of good practices and lessons learnt.

1. “State and solidarity: Looking toward European Law- series of articles on social solidarity”, Novinsko preduzeće Vreme, 250,699.05 EUR, December 2017 to December 2020. The project’s objective of the weekly magazine Vreme is to bring into focus the topic of equality, security and freedom of speech as the foundation of social solidarity.
2. “Rule of Law ‘Danas’- production of specialised supplement on Chapter 23”, Dangraf, 291,943.50 EUR, December 2017 to December 2021. The daily “Danas” will produce and publish specialised supplement named “Rule of Law Danas” (as two full pages per week during four years) which would be updated and uploaded to their website and through social media.
3. “CATCH 23 – multimedia and multiplatform hard talk, news and investigative feature production on chapter 23”, Fonet, 298,625 EUR, December 2017 to December 2020. The main result of the project would be 120 integral video shows “Catch 23” (30′ weekly produced) consisting of introductory investigative journalism feature and 24′ “hard talk” /interviews with various interlocutors (representatives of many stakeholders) on specific topics selected from the addressed areas..
4. “Reveal and Heal – Investigative Journalism as a Cure for Corruption in Judiciary”, KRIK, 157,401 EUR, December 2017 to December 2020. The objective is to contribute to fight against corruption in the judiciary and to support journalists to engage in investigative reporting by complex and wide research and analysis of judges from the Court of Appeal.
5. “NO SECRET, television production on civilian control of the security system in Serbia”, JSP Production and Brendon, 233,989.74 EUR, December 2017 to December 2020. The TV production based on overall analysis (of the both legislation and practice) in the sector of civilian control of the security system.
6. “Uncertain past – Timeline 1991- 2015, production of media archive”, EBART Consulting – Media Documentation, 293,856.03 EUR, December 2017 to June 2021. The main project’s objective to contribute to increasing quality of media professionalism and digital literacy, as well as to cultural diversity “through increasing understanding and new interpretation of the events that took place in Serbia and the region in the period 1991-2015”.
7. Creative drive- support to media literacy, Novi Sad School of Journalism,        296,995.91 EUR, December 2017 to December 2020. The project’s overall objective is to introduce the practice of media and information literacy into the existing school systems of both primary and secondary education in Serbia, as a form of a functional literacy of citizens in a democratic society in the 21st century.
8. Digital and media abilities for Youth with disabilities, Forum for Youth with disabilities; 187,148.20 EUR, December 2017 to November 2020. The project’s overall objective is to improve civic engagement of youth with disabilities by development of digital and media literacy skills.
9. Media Literacy Alliance and Digital Importance, a project to support youth civic engagement through media and digital presence, Media Diversity Alliance, March 2019 to February 2022, 222,220.00 EUR. The Project overall objective is to support civic engagement of youth in Serbia by strengthening their media and digital presence. The Applicant plans to equip young people with knowledge and tools necessary for voicing their interests in media sphere.