Call for Proposals: Support to the Independent Media Sector in Serbia

Deadline: 26-Apr-24

The European Commission (EC) has announced a call for proposals to support media organisations and media associations in their contribution to the implementation and monitoring of the Media Strategy of Serbia, aiming at strengthening freedom of expression and ensuring media quality and plurality.

Objective

• The specific objective of this call for proposals is to support innovative activities of media organisations and associations in Serbia to ensure the implementation of the National Media Strategy and address the needs of the media sector, as well as to improve access to evidence based and quality content and hence fight against disinformation and fake news.

Priorities

• The priorities of this call for proposals are:
  • To support monitoring and advocacy actions to ensure the implementation of the Media strategy, media laws and policies of Serbia;
  • To support integrity, safety and security of journalists, including among others against cyber threats, SLAPPs, online attacks, violence against female journalists, supporting mental health and others as appropriate, at national and/or at local level;
  • To support media to develop editorial capacities, quality content, evidence based journalism, and the use of digital tools, in particular at local level, with a focus on coverage of local and diverse topics, reaching out to marginalised and diverse communities. Access of the public to evidence based and quality content will help fight against disinformation.

Sectors or Themes

• Safety of journalists, cyber threats and online attacks, safety of female journalists, mental health of journalists, self-regulation and Code of ethics, quality of reporting and professional standards, digital capacity, image and narrative on discriminated groups, gender equality in journalism, outreach to neglected groups, implementation and improvement of the legislation, policies and Media strategy, media literacy

Funding Information

• The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 1,000,000. The contracting authority reserves the right not to award all available funds.
• Size of grants
  • Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
    • Minimum amount: EUR 250,000
    • Maximum amount: EUR 500,000

Duration

• The initial planned duration of an action may not be lower than 24 months nor exceed 36 months.

Location

• Actions must take place in the following country: the Republic of Serbia.

Eligibility Criteria

• Lead applicant(s)
  • In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
    • be a legal person and
    • be a specific type of organisation such as: print/electronic/on-line media, radio or television channel, media organisation, news agency, media production house or media association and
    • be established in6 the Republic of Serbia and
    • be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary.
• Co-applicant(s)
  • The lead applicant must act with at least two co-applicants. At least one co-applicant must be established outside of Belgrade.
  • Co-applicants participate in designing and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the lead applicant.
  • Co-applicants must satisfy the eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant himself.
  • In addition to the categories referred, the following are however also eligible:
    • Civil society organisations;
    • Cultural and educational institutions/organisations.
  • Co-applicants must sign the mandate form.
• Affiliated entities
  • The lead applicant and its co-applicant(s) may act with affiliated entity(ies).
  • Only the following entities may be considered as affiliated entities to the lead applicant and/or to coapplicant(s):
    • Only entities having a structural link with the applicants (i.e. the lead applicant or a co-applicant), in particular a legal or capital link.
    • This structural link encompasses mainly two notions:
      • Control on the annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings:
        • Entities affiliated to an applicant may hence be:
          • Entities directly or indirectly controlled by the applicant (daughter companies or first-tier subsidiaries). They may also be entities controlled by an entity controlled by the applicant (granddaughter companies or second-tier subsidiaries) and the same applies to further tiers of control;
          • Entities directly or indirectly controlling the applicant (parent companies). Likewise, they may be entities controlling an entity controlling the applicant;
          • Entities under the same direct or indirect control as the applicant (sister companies).
      • Membership, i.e. the applicant is legally defined as a e.g. network, federation, association in which the proposed affiliated entities also participate or the applicant participates in the same entity (e.g. network, federation, association,) as the proposed affiliated entities.

For more information, visit EC.