As strong advocates of press freedom, we are gravely alarmed at reports published earlier this week suggesting that United Group is preparing to sell the Adria News Network (ANN), including N1, Nova S, Radar and Danas as well as approximately a dozen further outlets across the Western Balkans to the European Future Media Investments fund controlled by Portuguese investment firm Alpac Capital. The Autonomous Women's Center is among the civil society organizations that signed this statement.

We have witnessed this pattern before. Under Alpac Capital’s license, Euronews Serbia rapidly became a vehicle for state-captured journalism.

That’s why we are calling on:

• The Luxembourg media regulator to conduct the most rigorous possible assessment of Alpac Capital’s fitness as an owner of independent media, taking full account of the firm’s track record with Euronews, the documented role of Hungarian state capital in its previous acquisitions and the personal connections between its leadership and the political authorities in Serbia.

• European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos and the European Commission to make clear that the transfer of the country’s last independent media outlets to a buyer with demonstrated links to state-captured media will have consequences for Serbia’s EU accession path.

• BC Partners and United Group to refrain from selling ANN’s independent media assets to any individual or organisation with a poor record on media freedom, and instead to safeguard the editorial independence that defines the media outlets under their care.

You can see the announcement and the list of signatories HERE.