On World Press Freedom Day, we celebrate the essential role of a free press not only as a conveyor of reliable and accurate news but as a pillar of democracy, Federica Mogherini, the EU High Representative, said on Thursday.

The UN General Assembly declared May 3 to be World Press Freedom Day to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression stipulated under Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

France must focus on the Western Balkans which have become “a diplomatic dead end”, French European Affairs Minister Nathalie Loiseau said, the Belgrade-based Beta news agency reported.

She told the French daily newspaper La Croix that the European Union has not engaged itself sufficiently in reinforcing the peace in the reigon.
“Things can either go in a good direction or in a bad one” but there can be no status quo, she said.

There are no daily Serbian newspapers in Kosovo today either, Tanjug news agency reports.

Zvezdan Mihajlovic from “KIM Beokolp” company, responsible for distribution of the Serbian newspapers in Kosovo, told Tanjug news agency that Kosovo customs officials did not allow transport of the newspapers through Jarinje crossing point, due to allegedly irregular documentation.

Publication “Invisible Violence – Stories from Redaction” prepared by Croatian Association of Journalists was presented in Pristina, RTV KIM reports. According to the research, 70% of interviewed journalists said they would change the job or media outlet, listing low salaries (42%) and censorship within the media outlet (15%) as the main reasons.

The research on whether the journalists have adequate conditions to carry out their duties, lasted six months and was implemented in different media outlets in Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Montenegro.

A judge in Kosovo says his new role in coordinating cases involving journalists shows the judiciary is serious about protecting media freedom.

The man tasked by Kosovo’s judiciary with overseeing court cases involving attacks or threats against journalists says his appointment is evidence of a renewed commitment to protect media freedom in the country, where reporters have frequently come under fire.

Arben Hoti was given the new brief at the Pristina Basic Court on June 18 following a spate of high-profile attacks on journalists.

“It is the worst when journalists stop talking about their own victims, then it is the end of everything. Fortunately, in Kosovo is not the case. We will talk, ask and continue our pursuit until the institutions start treating cases of murders, assaults and persecution of journalists separately,” Chairperson of the Association of Journalists of Serbia in Kosovo, Budimir Nicic said, KIM Radio reported.

The EFJ has launched a video campaign to raise awareness about the poor working conditions of journalists and media workers in the Western Balkans and Turkey.

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) said in a press release, that this state of affairs was documented by the European Commission’s Enlargement package 2018 published in April 2018.

International organizations’ reports treat Kosovo as a partially free society for the work of journalists, Editor-in-Chief of RTV KIM, Goran Avramovic said in a broadcast “Sporazum”.

However, I agree with such assessment only if we are looking reality through “pink glasses,” which is often the case in international organizations’ reports, Avramovic added.

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic spoke on Wednesday with OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir.

According to the Serbian government, they discussed "the importance of implementing the principles and standards of freedom of the media and expression, as well as protection of journalists."