Back Call for tenders: for the provision of consultancy services in the field of Freedom of Expression and the Media in the Western Balkans

Call for tenders: for the provision of consultancy services in the field of Freedom of Expression and the Media in the Western Balkans

In the framework of the European Union/Council of Europe “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” (Horizontal Facility III), the Council of Europe is currently implementing seven actions (in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and regional) on “Protecting freedom of expression and of the Media” (PRO-FREX).

The actions aim at strengthening the capacities of key domestic institutions and actors (including, relevant governmental structures/ministries, independent authorities in the field of media, access to information and data protection, judiciary and legal professionals, public service media and other media outlets, and CSOs in the field of journalism and media) in implementing European standards on freedom of expression and freedom of the media.

The consultancy services (legal and policy advice, and training design and delivery) foreseen under this call for tenders include the following areas: Freedom of expression, Access to information, Protection and Safety of Journalists, Media law, regulation, co-regulation, and self-regulation and Protection of personal data.

The activities foreseen under the project, in the subject areas indicated above, include technical assistance and advice on legislative and policy review, institutional capacity building and human capacity development, as well as awareness-raising.

The services of selected consultants may be sought for any relevant activity implemented by the Council of Europe, not just for the aforementioned PRO-FREX actions under the Horizontal Facility III.

Expected timeline for the provision of services: 02 January 2024 - 31 December 2026 (Renewable until 31 December 2028)

All information and documents about the procedure are available at the following link: 

The deadline for submission of applications is 11 December 2023.

 

 Call for Tenders

 Act of Engagement

 

 

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence

WESTERN BALKANS 13 November 2023
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The action “Protecting freedom of expression and of the media in Serbia (PRO-FREX)" enables the beneficiary institutions and civil society organisations in Serbia to progress towards meeting their reform agendas in the field of freedom of expression and freedom of media, in line with the European standards.

It aims at contributing to an improved environment for the exercise, in particular by journalists and media actors, of their rights of freedom of expression, in a more pluralistic and safer media environment, in line with the standards as set by Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights.

This action is implemented within the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” running from 2023 until 2026.


What are the goals and objectives of the action?

  • to promote freedom of expression and freedom of the media and to improve the application of European standards
  • to enhance the protection of journalists and contribute to the creation of an enabling, safer and more pluralistic media environment
  • to strengthen the skills and knowledge of the actors who are responsible for applying such standards as part of their daily work


Who benefits from the action?

  • independent authorities in the field of media regulation (Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media) and access to information (Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Protection of Personal Data) and their staff
  • associations of journalists and media actors
  • professionals such as judges, prosecutors, police officers, lawyers, broadcasters, journalists, other media actors, university students
  • the society of Serbia


How does the action work?

  • through the provision of legal advice to improve the alignment of legal and regulatory frameworks to the relevant European standards
  • by promotion and production of research and policy support
  • through awareness-raising events among duty bearers and rights holders of the relevant European standards
  • through capacity-building activities for the various professional categories, anchored in the European standards and the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)
  • by facilitating regional dialogue and exchange of good practices, in synergy with the regional action


What do we expect to achieve?

  • the employees of the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Protection of Personal Data will reflect in their work an improved knowledge of the European Convention on Human Rights and the ECtHR case-law, related to access to information and protection of private and family life (personal data)
  • professional capacities of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media employees will be further strengthened, on the revised EU Audio-visual Media Services Directive and its enhanced standards on the protection of minors, audio-visual commercial communication, media literacy, harmful content, hate speech, and the ECtHR jurisprudence
  • journalists will strengthen their knowledge on domestic legal mechanisms and the ECtHR procedures, in terms of addressing threats and attacks; this will be supported with development of recommendations on how to address the strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP)
  • the society at large in Serbia will benefit from an improved environment for the exercise of their rights to freedom of expression and access to information


What is the budget of the action?

The total budget of the action is 720 000 EUR.

The budget allocated to the overall Horizontal Facility programme amounts to ca. 41 million EUR (85% funded by the European Union, 15% by the Council of Europe).


How to get more information?


About Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye

The “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” is a joint initiative of the European Union and the Council of Europe that enables the Western Balkans Beneficiaries and Türkiye to meet their reform agendas in the fields of human rights, rule of law and democracy and to comply with the European standards, which is also a priority for the EU enlargement process.