Regional public media service needed

BRUSSELS/NOVI SAD - Vice speaker of the Vojvodina Assembly Ana Tomanova Makanova and Secretary General of the Assembly of European Regions (AER) Pascal Goergen agreed on Friday that a regional public media service is necessary for the process of democratisation, regional development and close ties between these two.

Tomanova Makanova and Pascal conferred in Brussels ahead of the conference entitled 'Public Regional Television under siege - A threat to European regional democracy and diversity'.

Tomanova Makanova presented the Public Broadcasting service of Vojvodina and underscored that the province needs to have a modern radio and television system and programmes which would adequately respond to the needs of life in the contemporary world, the Vojvodina government Office of Public Relations released.

The Vojvodina Public Broadcasting service is an acquired right of a majority of population and members of the national minorities which in keeping with the Serbian Constitution should not be reduced, Tomanova Makanova said and added that this is an obligation of Serbia toward international agreements which it adopted and also toward the Vojvodina autonomy.

Pacal noted that the AER is interested in Vojvodina's participation in the project of filming a documentary series on AER regional members which aims to encourage a dialogue between various cultures and present their tourist and economic potentials.

Representatives of the media and political institutions concluded at the conference in Brussels that the importance of regional media needs to be promoted as the means of preserving regional differences in Europe.

According to the release, regional broadcasters should team up so as to protect and preserve...