National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia / Activities / Activity details
Friday, 19 June 2015
33rd Sitting of the Committee on Human and Minority Rights and Gender Equality
At the sitting held on 19 June in Dimitrovgrad, the members of the Committee on Human and Minority Rights and Gender Equality discussed the role of the national councils of national minorities and the local communities in the realisation of national minority rights and the right to information in national minority languages.
The national minority representatives had, from the very beginning, a slew of complaints to the set of media laws passed last year, and adopted a number of conclusions on the subject that they sent to the Ministry of Culture and Media for consideration, said Omerovic.
The Ministry representatives were adamant that the privatisation of the media does not in any way eliminate broadcasting in national minority languages, stressing that the owner of the media is obliged by law not to change the programme schedule in the next five years.
Meho Omerovic said that the Committee would support the representatives of the national minority councils in the conclusions within the Committee’s purview.
The participants pointed out the problem that the privatisation of media broadcasting programmes in national minority languages which are funded from the local self-government budget would cause, because they believe it would lead to their elimination. They cited the obligations the Republic of Serbia has in connection with EU Negotiation Chapter 23, considering that the Draft Action Plan for the chapter lists obligatory steady funding guaranteeing the sustainability of media in minority languages.
At the end of the sitting the Committee agreed to request urgent consultation with the Ministry of Culture and Media on these issues and employ other measures at its disposal to protect the right to information in national minority languages.
Besides the Committee members, the sitting was attended by representatives of the national minority councils: Bulgarian, Romanian, Vlach and Macedonian, representatives of the local self-government, media and NGOs from Dimitrovgrad, Bosilegrad, Pirot and Zajecar.
The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairman Meho Omerovic.
Committees related to this activity
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9.00 - sitting of the Committee on Spatial Planning, Transport, Infrastructure and Telecommunications (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, hall 3)
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9.20 - press conference of the NEW DSS – POKS (NADA) Parliamentary Group (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, Central Hall)
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9.30 - sitting of the European Integration Committee (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, hall 4)
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9.30 - sitting of the Defence and Internal Affairs Committee (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, hall 2)
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10.00 - press conference of the Ecological Uprising Parliamentary Group (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, Central Hall)
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10.30 - sitting of the Foreign Affairs Committee (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, hall 4)
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12.00 - public hearing of the Culture and Information Committee on the topic: Public interview with the proposed candidates for Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media Council members (National Assembly Building, 14 Kralja Milana Street, Small Hall)
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15.00 - sitting of the Culture and Information Committee (National Assembly Building, 14 Kralja Milana Street, Small Hall)
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15.30 - the PFG with Italy, the Holy See and the Sovereign Order of Malta meets with the Italian delegation to the Central European Initiative Parliamentary Dimension (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, hall 3)
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16.00 - the National Assembly Speaker meets with the Head of the EU Delegation to receive the EC Report on Serbia’s Progress in 2025 (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, hall 1)
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16.20 - press statements on the delivered EC Report on Serbia’s Progress in 2025 (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, Central Hall)
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17.00 - press conference of the Green-Left Front – Don’t Let Belgrade D(r)own and Movement of Free Citizens (PSG) – Party of Democratic Action of Sandzak (SDA Sandzak) – Party for Democratic Action (PDD) parliamentary groups (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, Central Hall)