The Ministry of Culture and Media has never seen the amendments to the media laws sent to the European Commission (EC) by Prime Minister Milojko Spajić's Cabinet.
This is what Neđeljko Rudović, general director of the Directorate for Media in the Ministry of Culture and Media, said this evening in the Reflektor show on Television Vijesti.
"The Ministry of Culture and Media did not officially receive the EC's opinion on the amendments to the media laws, because it did not even ask for an opinion on those additional changes that were requested, I assume from the Prime Minister's Office or some other member of the Government, but we do not know about that, as a ministry that is the authorized proposer of media laws," said Rudović.
"Vijesti" announced earlier today that the EC approved amendments to the media laws, so tomorrow the Government will hold a session where it will consider the regulations from the EU agenda, necessary to obtain the Report on the Assessment of Fulfillment of the Criteria for Chapters 23 and 24 (IBAR).
That session was first announced for Saturday, and then for Monday. One of the reasons for the postponement of the Government session is that the opinion of the EC on the amendments to the media laws submitted by the Cabinet of Spajić was awaited, after the positive opinion of the EC on the laws had already been received.
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Tonight Rudović said in the Reflektor mission that the Minister of Culture and Media Tamara Vujović is in Budva tonight at an event concerning the cooperation of regional public broadcasters, and that at that event the Director General of Radio Television of Montenegro (RTCG) Boris Raonic spoke about the amendments, that is, about the opinion of the EC on those amendments.
Rudović also said that the media informed them that the Government received the EC's opinion on the amendments today.
"What is written in the opinion and what the amendments could be, we heard from the general director of the RTCG tonight in Budva at that event. The Ministry of Culture and Media of course had certain information about those amendments, informally. We first learned from the EC that certain amendments are being prepared and that their opinion will be required, however we have never seen those amendments that were officially sent to the EC, nor have we officially seen the opinion of the EC," said Rudović.
The host and editor of the Reflektor show, Aleksandra Mudreša, stated that the Ministry of Culture and Media does not know what the amendments are and what is written in the EC opinion on the amendments that Spajić's cabinet sent to Brussels, and asked Rudović if this means that the top of the Government, i.e. Spajić, excluded them. from the story.
"You can interpret it that way, you can interpret it as you think is necessary," said Rudović.
When asked how he interprets it, and what this means for him, Rudović said that it means that the Ministry of Culture and Media has taken a very clear position in several intervals.
"So that the proposed laws that it prepared, which were the result of the work of a working group in which representatives of the media community, independent regulators, media unions, non-governmental organizations, the judiciary and state institutions were represented, are the right measures, and that these laws are behind which the Ministry of Culture and Media continues to be absolutely in the public interest, to represent the best possible balance, bring huge strides both when it comes to the umbrella law on media and when it comes to the laws on the public media service RTCG and audio-visual media services for the media, that is, the Minister of Culture and Media, that is, Tamara Vujović, strongly defended those laws at the recent session of the Government Commission, which was held last week, and we absolutely stand by our proposals will be their content," said Rudović.
He said that the Ministry of Culture and Media did not want to give up basic norms and solutions that represent breakthroughs, which above all mean depoliticization of the Public Service, stronger independence of the Public Service, etc.
"The Ministry of Culture and Media clearly and loudly defends that position," said Rudović.
When asked whether the EC approved the amendments sent by Spajić, i.e. whether they were acceptable for them or not, Rudović said that "formally they did, just as they previously approved the draft laws prepared by the Ministry of Culture and Media and sent to the EC to the opinion".
"We had extraordinary, fruitful, day and night cooperation with representatives of the EC, before that with experts of the Council of Europe, and the solutions prepared by the Ministry of Culture and Media are absolutely in accordance with European standards. These are actually solutions that are not part of European legal system or European legislation, and in such a situation the EC cannot say that something is not in accordance with their standards if it is not prescribed in European directives or regulations Ministry of Culture and Media," he said.
As "Vijesti" previously announced, the amendments were based on the remarks of a number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), who requested that the number of members of the RTCG Council not be increased from nine to 11, that the director be required to have five years of work experience instead of ten. as written in the proposed Draft Law, that the Parliamentary Administrative Committee has the final say on which NGOs can propose members of the RTCG Council, and not that it depends on the number of relevant NGOs that proposed candidates.
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It was also proposed that commercial televisions increase the share of their own production to 30 percent, and that RTCG be allowed to broadcast commercials in prime time again.
According to "Vijesti" information, the EC sought an opinion from the Council of Europe, whose experts said that there are no standards when it comes to these matters and that it is not part of the "Aquis". The experts stated that these are technical amendments "that do not raise any issues related to the standards of the Council of Europe".
Before June, when the IBAR is expected, the government, apart from the media ones, should establish systemic laws in the field of justice and the fight against corruption and organized crime, among other amendments: the Law on the Judicial Council and judges, the Law on the State Prosecutor's Office, the Law on the Special State the Prosecutor's Office, the Law on Prevention of Corruption, the Law on Confiscation of Property Gains from Criminal Activity and the Code of Criminal Procedure.
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