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SEEMO PRESS RELEASE, 10 May 2006
VIENNA DECLARATION ON STRENGTHENING AND BUILDING MEDIA IN THE SEE REGION
We, the editors, media executives and journalists assembled on 6 May 2006 at
the SEEMO Dialogue Meeting in Vienna, having discussed the media situation
in countries of transition in the region of South East Europe (SEE) and the
standards for EU membership, appeal and urge the governments and authorities
in the region, as well as all involved, including relevant international
institutions, to:
- Not undermine in any way the very means of dissemination of
information. Ensure that citizens in the emerging democracies in SEE have
access to free and independent media. There is also a need for strengthening
and building independent media, both old and new ones, in these countries.
- Respect the social need for diverse voices, including those of
minorities and ethnic communities, in private, public and state media, as
well as anti-monopoly laws applicable to all businesses.
- Eliminate all government influence on media, as in the recent case
of RTV Kosovo when a law was passed that seriously endangers financial and
editorial independence, as well as state support to some media - giving some
media a monopoly position or a stronger financial position than the private
media.
- Grant the licences for terrestrial radio and television stations
after open and transparent competition with clear criteria. The recent case
in Serbia is one example where the frequency allocation was not carried out
in a transparent and unbiased manner.
- Issue multiple-entry visas for journalists free of charge. It is
essential that every journalist, who has a regular press card, can receive a
visa in a timely and unbureaucratic manner and without the burden of
producing variety of documents.
- Conduct investigations into cases of attacked, injured and killed
journalists, as well as to end impunity by bringing to trial the killers of
journalists in the region.
- Change the laws dealing with defamation in accordance with
international standards. Journalists should not be punished under criminal
law. Actions against journalists for defamation should be heard in the civil
courts. All damages should be proportionate and in scale with the economic
realities of the country, as well as the individual and company concerned.
- Ensure free access to information and respond to media requests
without delay. All governments must respect freedom of information laws
enacted to protect the fundamental right to seek, receive and impart
information. Where necessary governments should advertise how and where to
use these laws.
- Tax print media in the countries of the region, especially those
aspiring to become EU members, at a reduced rate, or even at a zero-point
rate.
- Respect the right of journalists to protect his or her source of
information in each situation, even during legal proceedings.
SEEMO and the Association of Private News Agencies (APNA) welcome the will
of the government of the Republic of Macedonia - FYROM expressed by its
decision to transform the news agency MIA from a state financed entity into
a regular joint stock company as part of a free market.
However, SEEMO in its declaration stresses that a joint stock company in the
media market is obliged to respect the legal framework of a free market, to
implement all relevant principles defined by the Constitution of the
Republic of Macedonia - FYROM and the Resolution of the Council of Europe,
which calls governments not to use state budget funds at the expense of
independent media outlets.
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SEEMO is a regional network of editors, media executives and leading
journalists in South East Europe.
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