Chadikovski at a meeting with EU Ambassador Geеr

The increasing number of attacks on journalists, the need for a broader consensus on the selection of bodies in AVMS and MRTV, as well as the improvement of the status of journalists’ rights, were the focus of the meeting between the President of the Association of Journalists of Macedonia Mladen Chadikovski and Director Dragan Sekulovski with EU Ambassador David Gеer and his close associates.

They discussed the situation in the media in the country, the ways to finance them to create better journalistic content, and the legal challenges that lie ahead as a condition for improving the atmosphere in the sector.

Cadikovski thanked the support of the Delegation of the European Union to highlight the main problems facing the sector, which are part of the latest report of the European Commission.

The main challenges faced by journalists in the last year were the increasing trend of attacks on media workers, the persistent policy of impunity, and the recent court decisions that are detrimental to journalists’ rights.

“Systematic protection of journalists and caution in making legal decisions regarding the work of MRTV and the private media, following the guidelines of the Council of Europe, is a precondition for improving the unfavorable situation of the media sector,” Chadikovski said.

Also, Sekulovski pointed out to the EU Ambassador the need for more significant public activity by the EU Delegation when there is a violation of media workers’ rights. Additionally, he stressed the need for intensified monitoring both in the law-making process and in court proceedings in which one of the parties is a journalist.

The participants agreed that it is essential to continue closer cooperation in the future to improve the environment in which media professionals work.