Former REM Council Members Willing to Return, Demand Legal Clarity

Four members of Serbia's Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM) council, who resigned in December, have expressed their readiness to return to their positions. However, they insist that the National Assembly must first resolve all legal ambiguities in accordance with the law.

Lawyer Rodoljub Šabić, one of the former members, emphasized that the process for forming the REM council must be strictly legal. He recalled that their resignations stemmed from alleged "gross and criminal" violations of the law by authorities, particularly in favoring one candidate from the national minorities category.

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We have always been of the opinion that Serbia needs REM, that it is possible to make a better REM than the previous one, regardless of certain problems we would face. But we insisted that the procedure be carried out strictly in accordance with the law.

The Serbian Parliament's Committee on Culture and Information has taken steps to address the issue, including suspending the procedure for proposing candidates from national minorities. This move aims to remove the primary reason for the members' resignations. The committee also received an opinion that there are no legal obstacles for the four members to resume their functions, as their resignations were not formally verified by the Assembly.

Despite these developments, Šabić indicated that the way the committee invited them to withdraw their resignations was also legally questionable. He noted that the law does not require the Assembly to formally verify resignations. The situation might be further clarified as the Parliament, following an announcement by Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, is expected to seek an authentic interpretation of the relevant legal provisions.

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They invited us to withdraw our resignations in a way that is also not legally correct. Namely, they claimed that these resignations did not produce legal effect because the Assembly did not confirm them. However, the law does not require the Assembly's confirmation.