President Milanović: Without independent media, an independent judiciary and free academia, there is no democratic State

The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović attended the opening of the European Federation of Journalists Annual Meeting 2021, which is being held this year in Zagreb at Novinarski dom, headquarters of the Croatian Journalists’ Association.

Extending his greetings to the representatives of the Croatian Journalists’ Association and the Croatian Journalists’ Union, the hosts of the European Federation of Journalists Annual Meeting, and delegates and representatives of European journalists’ associations and unions, President Milanović highlighted the importance of free, uncensored investigative journalism as one of the three most important elements for the advancement of democratic liberal societies. Apart from a free press, it is also important to have “free courts, independent of party politics, and free academia, an academic community where the truth will be sought, darkness and dust uncovered, and where political correctness will be only one of the limits.”

“Without these three deep-rooted elements, which are a prerequisite for the balance of society – and these are above all independent, and secondly professional media, an independent judiciary, a free investigative and critical academia, both internally and towards the outside – there is no modern, free and democratic state,” said President Milanović. “All three must be present. A society that does not have free courts and in which politics influence court proceedings, the persecution of individuals, corporations – that state certainly does not have free academia, that state certainly does not have a free press. And no matter how you rotate those three components, you always arrive at the same point –that is the prerequisite of a normal, healthy life,” explained President Milanović.

“Croatia is not perfect, but it has a bit of all that. It is better than it used to be, but it can always be worse in times of crisis,” said President Milanović, recalling that according to the old Civil Procedure Act a court fee had to be paid to the state both by those who sue for emotional distress and by those who are being sued. “That no longer exists in Croatian legislation, it was abolished in 2013. I mentioned this to remind ourselves how the system can be manipulated. I do not believe that this provision existed in Croatian law in order to harm the defendants, but simply so the state could take more money,” he said.

In his address to the participants of the European Federation of Journalists Annual Meeting, the President also commented on social networks and their impact on journalism today. “Social networks instantly satisfy the human thirst and need for any kind of information, but without the need for critical thinking. That is fast, cheap and puts you out of work. Journalism is expensive, quality investigative journalism costs money,” said President Milanović, adding that people doing such work need to have excellent education, but also be paid.

At this year’s Annual Meeting, which is being held under the slogan “Better protection of journalists,” increasing the protection of journalists in Europe will be discussed, as well as pressure being put on the media in the region, the persecution of journalists and journalists’ associations in Belarus and the rescue of journalists from Afghanistan.

The European Federation of Journalists is the largest association of journalists in Europe, representing more than 320,000 journalists across 72 organizations from 45 countries. EFJ meetings are held every year in an EFJ member country, with the exception of last year due to the COVID crisis.

Apart from President Milanović, speaking at the opening of the Annual Meeting were the envoy of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia and Minister of Culture and Media Nina Obuljen Koržinek, President of the European Federation of Journalists Mogens Blicher Bjerregård, and on behalf of the host President of the Croatian Journalists’ Union Maja Sever and President of the Croatian Journalists’ Association Hrvoje Zovko. Adviser to the President of the Republic for Human Rights and Civil Society Melita Mulić was alongside President Milanović.

PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Ana Marija Katić