The Media Center has reached out to the leaders of municipal assemblies that are the founders of local public broadcasters (radio and TV) with a request for alignment of the decision to establish a local public broadcaster with the Law on Audiovisual Media Services.

“According to Article 190 of the Law, the founding acts of local and regional public broadcasters must comply with the new law within nine months from its implementation. The deadline for this compliance is March 19, 2025. Our letter has been addressed to the presidents of municipal assemblies in Nikšić, Danilovgrad, Berane, Andrijevica, Bijelo Polje, Rožaje, Ulcinj, Bar, Budva, Tivat, Kotor, as well as the presidents of the Capital City Assembly. The Municipal Assembly of Herceg Novi and the Capital City Assembly of Cetinje have already completed these decisions, and today the Municipal Assembly of Pljevlja will follow suit,” stated Dragoljub Vuković, President of the Media Center Assembly.

The Media Center emphasized in the letter that the main changes in the law pertain to the appointment of members of the councils of local public broadcasters.

“To help mitigate political influence on local public broadcasters, the new decisions must specify that council members can only be proposed by authorized representatives from the local self-government unit that established the public broadcaster, instead of the previous practice where public enterprises and institutions founded by local government or the state could make the nominations (exerting political influence through these members). These authorized proposers may include:

1) non-governmental organizations focused on education, culture, and media;

2) non-governmental organizations dedicated to the protection of human rights and freedoms, environmental conservation, or consumer rights;

3) sports organizations;

4) local business and employer associations, as well as tourist or agricultural organizations;

5) a representative trade union organization that has a presence in the Social Council,” the letter from the Media Center to municipal assembly presidents stated.

The Media Center also drew attention to another new law that aims to further limit the influence of political parties on local public media. This law pertains to the process of dismissing council members of public broadcasters.

“Unlike before, where the council or the appropriate appointment committee in the municipal assembly could initiate the dismissal of a council member, the new provisions clearly state that only the council of the local public broadcaster has the authority to initiate such a procedure for dismissing a member, should the legal grounds arise. This change is designed to prevent political parties from influencing the council through municipal assemblies, ensuring that the council functions as an independent body,” Vuković’s statement noted.

To streamline the process of aligning with legal requirements and expedite the adoption of new decisions, the Media Center has collaborated with representatives from the Ministry of Culture and Media, the Agency for Audiovisual Media Services, the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro, and local public broadcasters to develop a model decision for establishing a local public broadcaster. This model was shared today alongside the letter sent to mayors.

“The model decision was created as part of the project “Participation of non-governmental organizations in the professionalization of local public broadcasters,” which is supported under the Supported=Empowered program, implemented by the Fund for Active Citizenship in partnership with the Foundation for Local Community Development ‘Slagalica’ from Croatia. The program receives funding from the European Union and is co-financed by the Ministry of Public Administration,” an announcement concluded.

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