Freedom of the press

The bomb attack that shook the headquarters of Skai TV and Kathimerini in the early hours of Monday may have been distressing and deplorable, but it certainly wasn't an isolated incident.

The latter is composed of representatives of journalists and media associations, and together they "called on the media and journalists today to adhere to the Code of Journalists of Serbia and to report professionally and ethically, in accordance with public interest," the government announced.

Media organisations, publishers, NGOs and representatives of political parties from across the European Union and the Balkans on Wednesday published what they called the 'Sofia Declaration', urging the EU to prioritise media freedom in Europe.

The state of emergency "should be lifted" and imprisoned journalists should be released ahead of the upcoming elections on June 24, the Turkish Journalists Association (TGC) said in a statement to mark World Press Freedom Day on May 3. 

The call was issued by the Western Balkan's Regional Platform for Advocating Media Freedom and Journalists' Safety, which represents more than 8000 members.

In addition, Pasalic on the other hand urged the media to develop the principle of responsible and impartial journalism.

He said in a statement that pressure on the media still exists, often through direct attacks on journalists.

Bulgaria continues to drop down in the Reporters Without Borders Index of Media Freedom and is in a lower position than any other member of the European Union. Our country is now 111th, while in 2017 it was 109th.

According to the Serbian government, they discussed "the importance of implementing the principles and standards of freedom of the media and expression, as well as protection of journalists."

A statement said that they spoke about "the situation in the media, ways to improve it, and freedom of expression and media" and that Vucic stressed he was "aware of the necessity of improving the atmosphere and the conditions in which the media operate, but also that media codes of ethics need to be respected."

Bulgaria, as well as most EU countries, is free, according to the announced annual ranking of the authoritative non-governmental organization Freedom House - "Freedom in the World 2018", according to BGNews.