Avrupa Birliği Uyum Sürecinde Batı Balkanlarda Medya Özgürlüğü

Demokrasinin işletilmesi için bir ön koşul olan medya özgürlüğü, ifade özgürlüğünün bir uzantısı olarak Avrupa Birliği’nin temel değeri olarak kabul edilmekte ve Birliğe üyelik başvurusu yapan ülkeler tarafından karşılanması gereken bir koşul olarak sunulmaktadır. Avrupa ülkelerinde medya özgürlüğü, medyanın siyasi müdahale ve sansürden bağımsız oluşu ve medya çalışanlarının her türlü tehdit, taciz, şantaj ve saldırıdan korunabiliyor oluşu anlamına gelmektedir. Bu çalışma, Avrupa Birliği aday ülkeleri olan Arnavutluk, Karadağ, Kuzey Makedonya ve Sırbistan’da medya özgürlüğünü Avrupa Birliği değer, norm ve koşulları bağlamında tartışmayı amaçlamaktadır. Bu çalışmada uluslararası kuruluşlar tarafından oluşturulan endeks, rapor ve veriler ile Avrupa Komisyonu ilerleme raporları ışığında döküman analizi yapılmış, elde edilen bulgular neticesinde mezkur ülkelerde medya özgürlüğünün tesis edilmesi ve işlevsellik kazanması noktasında önemli sınırlılıklar bulunduğu görülmüştür. Ayrıca ülkelerde gazetecilerin şiddet, şantaj, tehdit ve taciz gibi ihlallere de maruz kaldığı gözlemlenmiştir. Normatif bir aktör olarak Avrupa Birliği’nin ise medya özgürlüğünün aday ülkelerde tesis edilmesi ve denetlenmesine yönelik yeknesak norm ve mevzuata sahip olmadığı ve etkin müeyyideler sağlayamadığı sonucuna ulaşılmıştır

Anahtar Kelimeler:

Avrupa Birliği, Medya Özgürlüğü, Batı Balkanlar, Basın Özgürlüğü, Koşulluluk

Media Freedom in the Western Balkans in the European Union Harmonization Process

Media freedom, which is a prerequisite for the functioning of democracy, is accepted as the fundamental value of the European Union as an extension of freedom of expression and presented as a condition that must be met by the countries applying for membership to the Union. Media freedom in European countries means that the media is independent from political interference and censorship, and that media workers are protected from all kinds of threats, harassment, blackmail and attacks. This study aims to discuss media freedom in the context of European Union values, norms and conditions in the European Union candidate countries Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. As a result of the findings obtained in the light of the indexes, reports and data prepared by international organizations and the progress reports prepared by the European Commission, document analysis has been carried out and it has been observed that crucial restrictions exist in media freedom and its functionality in the these countries. In addition, it has been observed that journalists in these countries are exposed to violations such as violence, blackmail, threats and harassment. It has been concluded that the European Union, as a normative actor, does not possess uniform norms and regulations for the establishment and control of media freedom in candidate countries and cannot provide effective sanctions.

Keywords:

European Union, Media Freedom, Western Balkans, Press Freedom, Conditionality,

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