Serbian Parliament Suspends REM Council Appointments Over Minority Representation Dispute

The Serbian Parliament’s Culture and Information Committee halted the nomination procedure for the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM) council members proposed by national minority councils. Four former members – Rodoljub Šabić, Mileva Malešević, Ira Prodanov Krajišnik and Dubravko Valić Nedeljković – had resigned in December 2022; the committee announced that their resignations were not formally verified and invited them to reaffirm their positions.

Committee chair Nevena Đurić and deputy Ivana Rokvić emphasized that the process has been stalled for 598 days, leaving Serbia without a functioning REM to monitor electronic media. They called for the re‑opening of the nomination process and the adoption of a new REM statute after upcoming elections of the minority councils. Former candidate Bodzsoni István posted on Facebook that the suspension eliminates minority representation in the council and expressed willingness to support public‑service information in other ways.

The move reflects ongoing tension over compliance with EU and ODIHR recommendations on minority rights and media regulation, with the parliament expected to vote on related judicial and electoral law amendments in the coming weeks.