EU Spokesman: Brussels Supports Media Freedom in Serbia

Peter Stano (BETAPHOTO/EMIL VAS)

European Union Spokesman Peter Stano stated in Brussels on Feb. 8 that the Union and the European Commission “very strongly” supported the freedom of media and journalists and stood “firmly at the stance” that journalists have to be allowed to do their job.

“If someone attempts to make assessments about the media, that essentially paints an image of him or her, especially bearing in mind what happens in his environment, with the support of his regime, regarding the quality of journalism,” Stano pointed out.

This was his response to a reporter’s question about what was the EU and EC’s view of the statement of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic about The Guardian from the UK being, as a reporter conveyed, “a criminal newspaper.”

Stano also said that “Russian propaganda and lies are permitted to operate from Serbian soil,” especially Russia’s television channel RT. He stressed that the EU supported all high-quality media in the EU and elsewhere and that it would always defend their work and the freedom they must have.