RTK law required Slovenian model

Members of the Commission for Public Administration, Local Governance and Media and RTK representatives have met today to start consultations on drafting the Kosovo Radio Television Law.

RTK Board Chairman Aferdita Maliqi said the Board and management have identified this broadcaster's needs to secure a secure financing.

“The main needs which we hope will be addressed and resolved through this law are financing, property, reporting and composition of RTK. As for the funding issue we like Bord jointly discussed two possible alternatives and we have two proposals. The first proposal through financing from the state budget in this way will guarantee safe and long-term financing RTK's... ...This form of funding would not jeopardise editorial independence, which independence will be guaranteed by RTK law. The next proposal is payment, through electricity bills and as a combined form that would include advertising activities, financing shared by the state budget and sponsorship from other sources”, Maliqi said.

This combined form of funding, which is based on prepaid, enables editorial independence and direct accountability to the public. As for the RTK state budget, according to her should be set aside budget tools for activities, important events and the function of meeting program obligations.

Speaking of property, Maliqi said the Ministry of Public Administration has shared the property for RTK, while demanding from the Assembly that this property be included in the law.

Fadil Hoxha of the RTK Independent Union said there must be a body between the Parliament and the Board in order to be unable to, as a political organ, to decide for RTK. He has said that many programmes contracted from abroad that, according to him, are decided by law have generated many debts, and that all these emissions have come with preferences from politics.

This article sounds really good, but in practice this RTK has brought it to bankruptcy, it's a waste. The people of the Parliament through their influence because the board can't stand up because the Parliament has chosen these people have managed to exploit this space. I will also give concrete facts used for his family”, Hoxha said.

While RTK General Manager Mentor Shala requested clarification of RTK's way of funding. Saying it would be good to take Slovenian law as a model that some 60-70 per cent could fit, as it has form of funding mix.

I think that around 60-70 percent of this law can certainly be adjusted to our circumstances. RTK has been operating 19 years, we have an experience in some way of functioning it. Very easily, practices can be combined, and very easily an appropriate law for the public broadcaster that had to guarantee financial stability, but also full independence”, Shala said.

Burim Ejupi, from INDEP, has made a proposal saying it would be good for RTK to become public companies.

Why would it be public enterprise? The public broadcaster's mission is to provide public services to the public. It means RTK is currently independent. The political system in Kosovo divides independent agencies, public enterprises. This is where the independent agency is directly responding. What is dualism, an independent agency responds to another independent agency that is KPM. KPM has the right to obtain a license from an agency that answers. The same political level is due to the” Parliament, Ejupi said.

But that idea was rejected by RTK representatives, saying RTK cannot become public companies. At the end of the meeting, Commission Chairman Nat Hasani has said that by Friday they will accept proposals and then form the working group, which will deal with drafting the RTK Law. /P. Musa/