With regard to the open letter addressed to the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes HAHN, and to the Head of Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro, Ambassador Mitja Drobnič, from editors and journalists of seven Montenegrin media outlets (RTCG, Prva, Pink M, Pobjeda, Dnevne novine, Antena M, Skala Radio), please find below the answer on behalf of Commissioner Hahn and Ambassador Drobnič:
In its 2014 Progress Report on Montenegro, the European Commission indicated that “the lack of professional and ethical standards among media practitioners remains a cause for concern, contributing to further tensions in the media environment” and recommended that Montenegro puts in place mechanisms for monitoring and upholding professional and ethical standards in journalism.
Monitoring of implementation of ethical standards, identifying possible violations thereof and providing recommendations to improve standards in media reporting is primarily the responsibility of the competent self-regulatory bodies.
Commissioner Hahn raised this issue during his meeting with Prime Minister Djukanovic last Friday in Vienna and they agreed that more needs to be done in improving media environment. Raising professional standards of Montenegrin media is a matter of continuous efforts, of media outlets themselves, and of self-regulatory mechanisms. To that end, the EU fully supports the work of the OSCE Representative for the Freedom of Media and we welcome the agreement of Montenegrin media to improve the existing Code of Ethics of journalism. We see this as a step forward in enhancing the quality of journalism in the country.
We use this occasion to call on the media outlets, their owners, editors and journalists, to engage in a constructive dialogue with a view to creating a more favourable environment for professional journalism. We will continue supporting all steps going in this direction.
Delegation of the European union to Montenegro