98/725/CFSP: Common Position of 14 December 1998 defined by the Council on the basis of Article J.2 of the Treaty on European Union on restrictive measures to be taken against persons in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia acting against the independent media
Date: 1998-12-14
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: Yugoslavia, democracy, freedom of expression, law relating to information, private media

19. 12. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 345/1

(Acts adopted pursuant to Title V of the Treaty on European Union)

COMMON POSITION

of 14 December 1998

defined by the Council on the basis of Article J.2 of the Treaty on European
Union on restrictive measures to be taken against persons in the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia acting against the independent media

(98/725/CFSP)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in
particular Article J.2 thereof,

in its conclusions of 26 October 1998,

Whereas,
the
Council condemned the action by the Federal Republic
of Yugoslavia’s (FRY) authorities against the independent
media;

Whereas the adoption by the Serbian Parliament of a law
on public information which targets primarily non State-
controlled media, is in breach of internationally accepted
standards and is yet another step in the repression of
democratic principles;

Whereas, in its conclusions of 9 November 1998, the
Council reiterated the European Union’s determination to
maintain its support
for democracy and freedom of
expression in the FRY and urged the FRY and Serb
authorities
legislation on media into
conformity with the standards of the Council of Europe;

to bring their

Whereas, in its conclusions of 7 December 1998, the
Council agreed to impose a visa ban on FRY and Serb
authorities responsible for the repression of independent
media in the FRY, and agreed that this measure should be
matched by support for the independent media;

Whereas this visa ban would be lifted on abolition by the
FRY of
the independent
media,

repressive measures against

Serbian law on public information, shall be reported for
the purpose of non-admission in the territories of the
Member States.

2. Other
senior FRY and Serbian representatives
responsible for repressive action against the independent
media shall be added to the list in the Annex should the
FRY authorities fail to respond to the demands of the
European Union. The Council shall update the list in the
light of developments in the FRY.

Article 2

The Council shall repeal this common position on aboli-
tion of the repressive measures taken against the inde-
pendent media in the FRY.

Article 3

This common position shall take effect on the date of its
adoption.

Article 4

This common position shall be published in the Official
Journal.

HAS DEFINED THIS COMMON POSITION:

Done at Brussels, 14 December 1998.

Article 1

The persons listed in the Annex, who have been
1.
identified as being responsible for drafting,
imple-
menting, advocating or taking political advantage of the

For the Council

The President

W. MOLTERER

L 345/2

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

19. 12. 98

ANNEX

Vojislav Seselj, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister

Aleksandar Vucic, Serbian Minister for Information

Miljkan Karlicic, Assistant to the Serbian Minister for Information

Dusanka Djogo-Antonovic, Assistant to the Serbian Minister for Information

Miodrag Popovic, Assistant to the Serbian Minister for Information

Dragolljub Jankovic, Serbian Minister for Justice

Gorica Gajevic, SPS, Secretary-General

Zeljko Simic, SPS

Zivota Zvetkovic, SPS

Ivica Dacic, SPS, Spokesman

Slavko Veselinovic, SPS, Head of Council for information and propaganda in the SPS-Board

Stevo Dragisic, SRS

Tomislav Nikolic, SRS, Serbian Deputy PM

Natasa Jovanovic, SRS Regional Head Sumadija

Milovan Bojic, JUL, Serbian Deputy PM

Zivorad Djordjevic, JUL, Editor of daily Borba

Ivan Markovic, JUL, Spokesman

Milorad Radevic, Head of the Patriotic Federation Belgrade, Head of Serbian Archive, plaintiff on 23 October
1998

Bratislava Buba-Morina, JUL, Serbian Commissioner for Refugees, Head of Yugoslavian Women’s League,
plaintiff on 7 November 1998