For participants, the message was clear: institutional design matters but cooperation matters just as much. “The visit created a very practical outcome for us: it enabled direct contact with TikTok’s representative responsible for Montenegro, opening a channel of communication that had not existed before,” shared Damir Nikočević, Public Relations and Project Management Officer, Agency for Audiovisual Media Services (AMU), Montenegro.
Ledjona Lapidaj, Director of the Department of International Law and EU Integration, Albanian Media Authority (AMA), highlighted that “the study visit offered direct exposure to the value of advanced regulatory practice and practical insight for transposition and implementation of both DSA and EMFA frameworks”. Saša Simović, Assistant Director for Legal Affairs at Serbia’s Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM), noted that “the visit provided important lessons on how institutions cooperate, how technical expertise is developed, and how regulators engage with platforms.”
The study visit also reinforced a broader point: effective regulation depends on strong institutions and regional cooperation.
Emilija Petreska-Kamenjarova, Assistant Head of the Programme Affairs Sector at the Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services (AVMU), North Macedonia, stressed that “no matter which authority becomes Digital Services Coordinator, the transposing process needs to set a solid foundation for good and smooth communication and cooperation between the involved authorities.” Azra Maslo, Programme Standards Coordinator at the Communications Regulatory Agency (CRA) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, echoed this, observing that “alignment with European rules must go hand in hand with safeguarding freedom of expression, addressing harm, and building genuinely independent institutions.”
During their study visit, regulators had the opportunity to meet with Mariya Gabriel, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information. Their discussions focused on public interest journalism, digital platform governance, and the need for stronger regional cooperation to tackle systemic digital risks while safeguarding freedom of expression.