A scandal very little talked about in Serbia

“Russia was forced to start war” in Ukraine “became ethnic cleansing”, of course the West was the first to start the war in Ukraine. ) These titles are found in Serbian media with a large public, disseminated disformations without opposition. According to data from the Serbian nongovernmental organisation, CRTA many Serbian media are largely financed by the public income of Western companies. A research into national television advertising and daily newspapers last year amounts to the result, that 63% of companies that have released advertising are from the EU, the US or Switzerland. “Without the money of these Western companies, the Serbian propaganda machine would not be active”, says Rasa Nedeljkov, CRTA post director.

LEDL concert present with its supermarkets in Serbia

Nearly 10% of advertising by German companies

German companies are also largely participants in these ads, and according to Nedeljkov, they are among the most important “sectors in the Serbian advertising market”, with 10% of trends, according to estimates. By comparison: Serbian private and state companies, according to CRTA data, comprise 36%, Russian ones even 01% of advertising.

More than 10 German companies last year have made significant publicity of more than 1m euros in various Serbian media. The LEDL concert has provided more money for this, it has provided a total of ads worth 54m euros. After that, the company Beiersdorf ranks at 10.3m euros in total, Glono, which is part of Delivery Hero- has provided 5m euros and Berlin Chemie AG 3.7m euros. The ads are published in different media.

The “more than half of the money spent by LEDL has gone, according to our analysis on T television. V Pink and Happy TV, both known for the promontory propaganda of war and their non-professional and unrealistic reporting”, Nedeljkov says. Pink TV according to data from “Nielsen Television Auditure Management” is the most watched commercial television in Serbia. Other German companies have made their own publicity Pink TV, according to CRTA data.

EU Negative Image

Pink TV and Happy TV are part of television with the most extreme attitudes in Serbia. In connection with the war in Ukraine, these televisions spread the Russian underground. Thus is given without criticism the Russian disinformation for allegedly “denification” in Ukraine or the alleged crimes of Russian soldiers in Butsha as manipulations. Other way. NATO is held responsible for the war. Disformation for biolaborors also plays a role from time to time. This adds to the presentation of a negative EU image. Among other things, it is claimed, there is no freedom of thought in the EU. Another chronice said that the only “of reason” in the EU is Victor Orban, Hungarian prime minister. The U.S. also regularly presents itself with negative images. After earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, even the US is responsible for the disaster.

Other non-local media in Serbia also spread more or less attitudes, such as TV television Prva, B92 or Informer and Vecernje novost. Even in these media German companies have made self - publicity worth of more than 1m euros. All media with wide radiation like online TV or print are in a” line, says Thomas Brey, former director of the German news agency's regional Southeast Europe office for years, dpa. “There's only a few degrees of movement. ”

President Vuciq during a Pink TV appearance in 2017

Appeals to European Values

Thomas Hawker, FDP deputy, asks German enterprises to analyze better where they put the ad. And as a company, I'd see what state we're currently in the world. And they should ask themselves, " What propaganda finance at this cost? Because Serbia is much smaller than Germany, for example, comparatively the dimension of expenditures is very high and in that sense plays a”. According to Hacker, German companies should present advertising to media that embody European values.” Bundestag's MP does not believe this concerns the company's conscious decision. “But companies are responsible where they put their ads. ”

While Green Party MP Boris Mijatovic sees suspected “the behavior of German companies, especially after the war began in Ukraine. The “is not in the interest of the Western European policy to support more than 20m euros in Russian narractiva. ”

Thomas Hawker, FDP deputy

First economic interests?

Experts Rasa Nedeljkov has doubts about the company's ignorance. These companies have their own local offices and employees, local advertising and media agencies you can't for a long time bypass the professional management of these media, if you live in Serbia, do businesses in Serbia or live for a while.” He thinks advertising is related to the wide visibility of these media.

And Alexandra Tomanic, leader and European Fund for the Balkans It requires that German undertakings be responsible. “either way in the context of last year, and remembering how much sacrifice the German economy should make, German politics and the population in Germany to position morally, that doesn't work.” According to Tomanic, profits from companies cannot be an apology for everything.

Enterprises Do Not Accept Responsibility

ARD request from “teamEvidence” (the fact tracker) how much funds were spent last year on advertising, enterprises haven't given answers. A LEDL Serbia spokesman made it known that the advertising decision is taken “on the marketing data base, such as vision”. This according to LEDL Serbia “to achieve how well our clients and potential.” And a spokesman METRO Serbia announced that the Overload co-operates with many media within advertising to reach clientele. But it follows “only commercial purposes and there is never any mix on political issues” - And Glovo, the ARD request of “Evidence” that undertaking ensures that our “ads are not presented side by side with inappropriate or illegal content”. According to Glovo the media budget for television in Serbia is “much smaller”, than the assessment that has been made. Even the company “dm” writes that it co-operates with Pink TV, because it is the most watched television in Serbia. The main criteria for co-operation” are <x8 Groups of clientele, vision and program plan”. According to the dm this concert sees only one television in Serbia that has an open prorus and anti-Western stance and “with this we don't co-operate”.

Southeast European expert Thomas Brey

EU inaction problem 

Experts along with enterprises see responsibility in the EU as well. Because that almost closes the eye that President Vuciq has put Serbian media under control. “Many of the Serbian media are like Vuciqi spokeswoman” says expert Thomas Brey. “Oposor ready to be read.” This corresponds to a CRTA assessment, according to which. Pink TV was only in 2022.258 Vuchy's live speeches, and 3/4 of the newstime have been reserved for Vucinqi.

Even Tomanic sees a huge problem in EU inactivity. “It is known that democracy and media freedom in Serbia are damaged. This is a scandal that is very little and even less talked about in the EU.” Because even through state media propaganda, commanded, the image of the EU in the population has fallen. According to the Ministry for European Integration data, only 43% of Serbs support EU membership. That, although the EU is Serbia's biggest trade partner. Because of negotiations on reaching a deal on the Kosovo issue, The EU fears a direct criticism of Vuciqi, experts criticise. “While shortcomings are visible”, says Brey. Justice is commanded, not independent state institutions. The media are centralized and censored, the economy is dominated by the state and private oligarchs, which are close to the state.” / DW