As strong advocates of press freedom, we are gravely alarmed at reports published earlier this week suggesting that United Group is preparing to sell the Adria News Network (ANN), including N1, Nova S, Radar and Danas as well as approximately a dozen further outlets across the Western Balkans to the European Future Media Investments fund controlled by Portuguese investment firm Alpac Capital.
If confirmed, we believe that this transaction could represent one of the most consequential threats to media pluralism in Europe in recent memory. It would place some of the last editorially independent television news broadcasters, daily newspaper and online news platforms in Serbia under the control of a firm whose existing media holdings have been marked by documented allegations of censorship, political interference and the erosion of editorial standards.
Alpac Capital’s Record Must Be Scrutinised
Alpac Capital acquired a majority stake in Euronews in 2022. Investigative reporting from Direkt36 and Le Monde subsequently revealed that this acquisition was partly financed by Hungarian state capital and companies closely linked to the political networks of Viktor Orbán.
Under Alpac Capital’s ownership Euronews Serbia is licensed to state-owned Telekom Srbija, the same entity whose CEO was recorded discussing strategies to weaken N1 with the CEO of United Group. This included a personal request from President Vučić to remove a key guarantor of editorial independence from the company.
Under this license, journalists reportedly face documented censorship, bans on questioning Serbian government officials and dismissal for defending editorial standards. Alpac Capital has close links to both President Vučić and Viktor Orbán.
ANN’s Media Outlets Are Already Under Threat
This comes after well-documented concerns over the threat to editorial independence at ANN media outlets. Following the release of the recording between the CEOs of Telekom Srbija and United Group, the European Parliament adopted a resolution stating that ‘the Serbian government appears to have been negotiating with the owners of the United Media company to ‘weaken’ independent media outlets operating under it’.
The removal of Igor Božić from N1 further amplified our concerns. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) stated that his dismissal ‘clearly contradicts [ANN’s] stated intentions to preserve N1 from political interference’. Eight Serbian media associations and unions described the dismissal as ‘a serious signal that the authorities, in coordination with new ownership structures, have entered the final phase of establishing control over one of the last remaining pillars of independent information in Serbia’.
Editorial Independence In Serbia Must Be Protected
We have witnessed this pattern before. Under Alpac Capital’s license, Euronews Serbia rapidly became a vehicle for state-captured journalism. That’s why we are calling on:
- The Luxembourg media regulator to conduct the most rigorous possible assessment of Alpac Capital’s fitness as an owner of independent media, taking full account of the firm’s track record with Euronews, the documented role of Hungarian state capital in its previous acquisitions and the personal connections between its leadership and the political authorities in Serbia.
- European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos and the European Commission to make clear that the transfer of the country’s last independent media outlets to a buyer with demonstrated links to state-captured media will have consequences for Serbia’s EU accession path.
- BC Partners and United Group to refrain from selling ANN’s independent media assets to any individual or organisation with a poor record on media freedom, and instead to safeguard the editorial independence that defines the media outlets under their care.
Organisations:
Association of Online Media (AOM)
Association of independent electronic media (ANEM)
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia
Independent Journalists’ Association of Vojvodina
Foundation Fond B92
Transparency Serbia
A11 Initiative
European Movement in Serbia
Helsinki committee for human rights in Serbia
Youth Initiative for Human Rights
CRTA (Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability)
Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM)
Belgrade Centre for Security Policy
KROKODIL Association
Association Women for Peace
Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation
Civic Initiatives
Centre for Contemporary Politics
Belgrade Center for Human Rights
Rainbow Ignite
Autonomous Women’s Center
Renewables and Environmental Regulatory Institute – RERI
BeFem
FemPlatz
Trag Foundation
Activist Community Base – SviĆe
Independent Women’s Center Dimitrovgrad
