PM Lukšić: Government supports establishment of independent self-regulatory media bodies

Podgorica, Montenegro (21 March 2012) – The Government fully welcomes the establishment of media self-regulatory bodies in Montenegro, Prime Minister Igor Lukšić said to the representatives of the newly established Self-Regulatory Media Council Darko Šuković (Radio Antena M), Ranko Vujović (Agency for Electronic Media) and Draško Đuranović (Portal Analitika) in their meeting on Tuesday.

“Montenegro’s Government supports the establishment of independent self-regulatory media bodies with the aim of further strengthening media independence and professionalism, and the overall advancement of media freedom in Montenegro“, PM Lukšić noted during the talks.

The Council’s representatives acquainted the Prime Minister with the structure and Statute of the newly established body that aims to monitor respect for the journalist code of ethics and professional standards, and improve the overall Montenegrin media scene. By the same token, the Council’s representatives announced the imminent launch of an independent team to monitor media work, and advertise publicly its findings and recommendations in case of violation of ethical code and standards.

PM Lukšić and the Council’s representatives also discussed the setting up of a fund to help electronic media in order to assist the economic sustainability of private media and their competitiveness in the market.

The Self-Regulatory Media Council was established on 7 March in Podgorica, thus fulfilling one of the requirements for opening the EU accession negotiations.

The Council’s Assembly comprises the representatives of 19 printed, electronic and Internet media.