{"id":11213,"date":"2026-08-21T16:20:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T16:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/lu\/11213\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T16:20:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T16:20:17","slug":"will-luxembourg-behead-serbian-democracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/lu\/11213\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Luxembourg behead Serbian democracy?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t21.08.2026. 17:15h\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Is Luc Frieden (Prime Minister of Luxembourg) condemned to, against his will, “cut off the head” of Serbian democracy? Everything points to that. The question remains how.<\/p>\n

United Media Group, headquartered in Luxembourg, is selling its channels broadcast in the former Yugoslavia, namely Adria News Network, to the Portuguese investment fund Alpac Capital, which is considered close to the head of the Serbian regime.<\/p>\n

Central European media warn of media takeovers in so-called “illiberal” or authoritarian democracies. “The sale of Adria News Network must not lead to a political takeover of the main independent media,” Reporters Without Borders said in a statement sent earlier this month, according to the newspaper d’L\u00ebtzebuerger Land..<\/p>\n

This is not the first time that a Central European regime has discreetly taken over critical media outlets through capital. In 2025, media investigations revealed that Alpac’s purchase of the pan-European channel Euronews in 2022 was financed with money from people close to Viktor Orb\u00e1n, the then Prime Minister of Hungary.<\/p>\n

Today, among other things, the independence of the Serbian channel N1 is threatened, which for twenty months has intensively reported on student protests that have weakened the position of President Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107.<\/p>\n

The agreement to sell Adria News Network, which has an audience of 16 million people and around 1.000 employees, was announced in May, but the takeover of the newsrooms has been accelerating in recent days.<\/p>\n

As reported by the Serbian media outlet Cenzolovka, Alpac Capital representative Pedro Vargas David now appears as the administrator of the companies that manage the N1 and Nova S channels, as well as the Danas and Radar media outlets, i.e. all Serbian media outlets under the auspices of Adria News.<\/p>\n

N1’s editors-in-chief in Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia were also fired, “via emails sent from Luxembourg,” Cenzolovka said.<\/p>\n

European journalists’ unions have now turned their attention to Luxembourg, namely to the SMC (Service des m\u00e9dias et de la connectivity) as well as to the ALIA (Autorit\u00e9 luxembourgeoise ind\u00e9pendante de l’audiovisuel), the last line of defense against the democratic offensive.<\/p>\n

When a broadcaster changes ownership, the new owner must request a new concession from the Luxembourg authorities, which are effectively under the authority of Luc Friden, the Minister of Media, as Elisabeth Margue is delegated in this area. This was done on June 17, according to information from Radio 100,7, writes Pierre Sorlut for d’L\u00ebtzebuerger Land.<\/p>\n

In making its decision, the SMC relies on an advisory opinion prepared by the ALIA Board of Directors, which is currently chaired by Marc Glesener, former secretary of the CSV parliamentary group and former editor-in-chief of the Wort newspaper.<\/p>\n

When asked by the Land newspaper, ALIA’s management stated that the procedure is still ongoing.<\/p>\n

The Media Board, a body that brings together media regulators from EU member states, has also taken up the case. ALIA will be able to consider the draft European opinion before issuing its own.<\/p>\n

There is no precise deadline, but a spokeswoman told Land:<\/p>\n

“These opinions will be carefully considered and will be subject to detailed analysis before any decision is made by the SMC.”<\/p>\n

ALIA already knows the United Group case well.<\/p>\n

ALIA is well aware of the case of United Group, the parent company of Adria News.<\/p>\n

This telecommunications and media conglomerate, founded by Serb Dragan \u0160olak, moved to Luxembourg in 2007 for legal stability, in order to run its pan-European activities, particularly in the field of audiovisual media.<\/p>\n

Dozens of channels from this group, which is primarily active in Central Europe, have significantly engaged ALIA over almost two decades.<\/p>\n

In recent months, the audiovisual media regulator has begun to express concerns about editorial policies at the group, which is now majority-controlled by investment fund BC Partners.<\/p>\n

In its opinion from November last year, upon renewal of the concession, ALIA pointed out the concerns of European institutions \u2014 the Commission, and then the Parliament \u2014 regarding the development of the rule of law in Serbia and threats to media freedom.<\/p>\n

In August 2025, OCCRP and the Serbian media outlet KRIK published a recording in which the CEO of Telekom Srbija, close to Vu\u010di\u0107, and the director of United Group agree to bring editorial policy closer to that of the Serbian government.<\/p>\n

ALIA ultimately gave a provisional positive opinion, with increased oversight due to \u201crisks of interference.\u201d These risks were rejected by Adria News management and its shareholders.<\/p>\n

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) considers the sale of Adria News “a real earthquake in the Balkan media landscape.”<\/p>\n

“Key information on funding is missing, as well as information on the existence of solid barriers between owners and editorial staff,” the organization stated earlier this month.<\/p>\n

These fears were materialized this week with changes in the heads of editorial offices.<\/p>\n

Journalists’ associations expect Luxembourg to refuse to grant the concession, as the prime minister could invoke the protection of pluralism and media freedom.<\/p>\n

But what would happen after that?<\/p>\n

The management of Adria News could move its headquarters to a third country, possibly to Serbia, where it would probably not encounter any obstacles, according to the newspaper d’L\u00ebtzebuerger Land.<\/p>\n

Only their activities in Slovenia and Croatia, and soon in Montenegro, would require a jurisdiction from which to broadcast in the EU.<\/p>\n

Asylum could be found in the \u201caxis of illiberal democracies\u201d, for example in the Slovakia of Robert Fico, one of the predators of media freedom identified by RSF.<\/p>\n

In its regularly updated overview, this non-governmental organization brings together groups and individuals hostile to journalists.<\/p>\n

Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107 was included on that list in 2025, after, among other things, calling N1’s activities “pure terrorism.”<\/p>\n

In recent months, the Serbian president has met bilaterally with five of the 16 other heads of state that RSF labels as predators of media freedom: Vladimir Putin (Russia), Xi Jinping (China), Ilham Aliyev (Azerbaijan), Viktor Orban (Hungary) and Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Turkey).<\/p>\n

Vu\u010di\u0107, the president of a country that has been an official candidate for EU membership since 2012, has also met several times with EU leaders Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen.<\/p>\n

The stakes are still the same: Keep Serbia close to Europe<\/p>\n

That is also what is at stake: keeping Serbia close to the European camp.<\/p>\n

This country, rich in lithium and boron, two metals important for industry, is of interest to Europe, also for geopolitical and security reasons.<\/p>\n

Serbia is also closely linked economically to China and culturally to Russia. The United Arab Emirates is also investing capital in Serbia \u2014 including through the United Group.<\/p>\n

In the coalition agreement, the government states that it wants to find \u201cthe right balance between our values \u200b\u200band our interests,\u201d writes Sorlut zad’L\u00ebtzebuerger Land.<\/p>\n

This Thursday, the Serbian government is putting additional pressure on Luke Frieden.<\/p>\n

In an open letter, its information minister calls on buyer Pedro Vargas David to attack ALIA, which, according to him, is delaying giving its opinion.<\/p>\n

Boris Bratina calls the Luxembourg regulatory body the “fraud of the century”, whose sole purpose is to protect allegedly illegal television channels, providing “a safe house for the anti-government spectrum, making every lie possible” and ridiculing “every appearance of government representatives”.<\/p>\n

“We have reached the point where the televisions you buy create and nurture, without the slightest scruple, a parallel reality,” writes Vu\u010di\u0107’s associate, before calling on Vargas to move his channels to Serbia, as he did with Euronews.<\/p>\n

Elections are approaching in Serbia. 2027 at the latest.<\/p>\n

The author is also the Luxembourg correspondent for Reporters Without Borders (RSF).<\/p>\n

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