If the European Union wants to influence autocrats in candidate countries, it must establish a strong culture of independent media within its own borders, writes the Brussels-based portal Politiko.
After months of silence in the face of unprecedented anti-government protests in Serbia, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has finally criticized Belgrade for failing to implement the reforms necessary for EU accession. She called on Serbia to “take decisive steps towards media freedom, the fight against corruption and electoral reform,” Politiko reminds.
The portal writes that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has been consolidating his party's power for a decade, aggressively establishing control over the country's media, and states that in October 2023, the Serbian government adopted two controversial laws that allow state-owned companies to enter the media market, removing protective mechanisms introduced after the Slobodan Milošević era.
These laws further undermined the media environment while the EU ignored warnings from media associations that predicted their anti-democratic impact. The EU broke its silence only after mass protests against Vučić and his government, as well as physical attacks on the few remaining independent journalists, the analysis states.
In theory, the reform agenda as part of the EU accession process should give the Commission some leverage. However, in recent years, several candidate countries, including Serbia, Turkey and Georgia, have carried out some of the most drastic crackdowns on independent media, the portal points out. It is not surprising that these countries believe that such measures will not jeopardize their path to EU membership, since some members of the bloc are doing the same.
For example, Hungary took the EU to the European Court of Justice last year over the adoption of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) - the EU's first attempt to harmonise laws on media pluralism and independence. Hungary argues in its lawsuit that the law goes beyond the EU's powers and infringes on the sovereignty of member states.
Meanwhile, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico dissolved the public broadcaster RTVS and formed a new television station, STVR, allowing for a change in management and greater control over editorial policy.
The latest moves by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez seem to have been copied from Vučić's playbook.
However, it is not only Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Fico who are setting a bad example.
Some of the bloc's most influential members are regressing when it comes to media freedom, the portal writes, citing a report from the Civil Liberties Union for Europe from March, which singles out Italy for "unprecedented levels of political interference" in the work of public service broadcasters, and labels the government of Đorđe Meloni as one of the five worst in the EU in terms of media freedom.
In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's latest moves seem to have been copied from Vučić's playbook, the analysis points out.
In July 2024, Sanchez announced a reform of the media law to combat "pseudomedia", but in practice he used EMFA to limit the list of organizations that can receive public funds.
The Spanish government last year bought a 10 percent stake in Spanish telecommunications giant Telefonica and installed a director loyal to the government. Media reports say the government is now using that position to influence the vote of shareholders in Promontora de Informaciones SA, owner of the largest newspaper, El Pais, to replace management and launch a pro-government television station.
EU member states that seek to control the media and direct the political narrative are closely monitoring how the Union reacts to the selective application of EMFA in problematic countries such as Hungary and Slovakia, according to Politiko.
He adds that the EU is expected to launch proceedings for breaking the rules, likely using Orban and Fico as examples to deter other leaders like Meloni and Sanchez from interpreting the law to their own advantage.
"And if the EU wants to influence Vučić and other future autocrats in the candidate countries, key members must be the first to set a good example. The protesting Serbian citizens see the EU as a beacon of hope for democracy. The bloc must not let them down," the Brussels portal concludes.
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