The freedom of the media is especially important for the expansion of the European Union, said the European Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, adding that there is still work to be done on the freedom of expression and media in potential EU member states.
“The freedom of the media is at the core of EU negotiations and I believe that it can not be neglected. One can not claim to have democracy if journalists are under attack, and the attackers are not brought to justice when there is no transparency regarding media ownership”, said Hahn at the opening of “Speak-up” Conference in Brussels on the situation on the media in the Western Balkans and Turkey.
Commissioner Hahn stated that online media contributes to the increase in democracy, but added that countries should continue building professional journalistic standards for people to have the opportunity through access from various sources of information to build a critical attitude.
In his address, Hahn said that the authorities must provide citizens a public service that will offer diverse information. He also stressed that it is unacceptable for the authorities, in conjunction with the judicial and security authorities to sow fear among journalists, which also contributes to self-censorship.
The freedom of the media is one of the main points of the negotiations for EU membership, said Hahn, adding that without freedom of expression, one can not be part of the Union.
Vice President of the European Parliament Ulrike Lunacek emphasized that in some countries, Governments do not want to be the target of criticism from the media or to be analysed and criticized about their work.
“Investigative journalism is important, especially when you need to examine the transparency of public purchases, authorities and their politics”, said Lunacek.
