Amid a rising online hostility and growing societal polarisation, tackling hate speech and harmful content has become an urgent priority for democracies across Europe. The spread of content that incites hatred or promotes intolerance poses a direct threat to social cohesion and individual rights, and event when it does not amount to lawful sanction, it requires alternative responses.

In this context, a training was conducted aiming to deepen the understanding of European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) standards on hate speech for the staff of Serbia’s Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM).

A key highlight is the participation of prominent representatives from Ireland’s media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán. Alana Finn, Assistant Director for Policy, and Conor Stitt, Policy Manager, presented Ireland’s progressive Online Safety Framework, including the Safety Act and Safety Code. Their contributions offered a unique comparative perspective on regulatory responses to illegal and harmful online content. The exchange underscores the value of international cooperation and experience-sharing in strengthening national capacities to regulate hate speech in line with European human rights standards.

The event  was organised by the Division for Cooperation on Freedom of Expression, through the action “Protecting freedom of expression and of the media in Serbia (PROFREX)”, which is part of the joint European Union - Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”.