50 TV channels operate illegally in Kosovo

The Independent Commission's Board for Media today reported to the Commission for Public Administration for 2017, where it was said that the KPM has not had much activity, but, however, important work has been done for the digitalisation process, which has dragged on for a long time but will come to an end this subject.

KPM Board member Xhemajl Krasniqi, among other things, has singled out that for last year in the election process some media in Kosovo have been fined financial means of violating the Ethics Code for Media Services providers.

He has said the KPM is aimed at putting electronic media under control, especially portals.

This co-operation that stems from these communications with different regulators, one that is very important for us that we certainly haven't written on the targets for this year, but we think it's hot for us, is the issue of electronic media regulation that we're calling portals. In that spirit Austria and Croatia are two states that have mostly moved for money, but specifically Austria”, Xhemajli has said.

Chairman of the Commission for Pulical Administration Nat Hasani has said the KPM is obliged to make media education in a positive sense and not only to deal with fines for election campaigns.

Only five channels have licenses, another 50 are illegal operating in Kosovo. What are the arrangements? You're dealing with measures and fines just for election campaigns to prevent us in the elections, means no other action you haven't taken. Never has this IPTV case been resolved”, Hasani has said.

Even the commissioner's member, Xhevahire Izmaku, has had remarks in the KPM report, where the majority of votes have been decided that the report must be returned for completion on the KPM's side again.

Even the RTK Board reported one year's work today in front of the commissioner for the public broadcaster's work.

RTK Board Chairman Aferdita Maliqi has said the board on the basis of the mandate has long examined and forwarded to the Kosovo Assembly, the annual labour report for 2017.

This report, according to her, has been linked to financial mirrors audited by independent foreign audience, as provided with the RTK Law.

She has assured that the board and management have reasonably managed to spend the budget, which has not become a budgetary outreach, but has stood in budgetary boundaries.

“In this report are presented all public broadcaster activities for 2017, including the work of the governing bodies, units, as well as the sectors of joint public broadcaster services. RTK during the reporting year has been striving to strengthen journalistic standards and principles and consistently developed and promoted universal values and principles such as accuracy, impartiality, the reliability of many other principles, which are the fundamental values on which a public broadcaster” functions, Maliqi said.

It has added that they have consistently assumed that the current budget is not developmental, because RTK needs numerous investments, especially in technology.

Maliqi said the construction of the new RTK facility would end all logistical problems.

Even Jevahire Izmaku, a member of the commission, has expressed her assessments and remarks, but has congratulated the principle of the new RTK law, which according to her, will dispel allegations that RTK is influenced.

Because the funding method is a barrier to you and we have so far failed to pass, we are hoping that it will be approved and that we have permanently removed the impression that RTK is affected, and that you have had this option of”, Izmaku stressed.

While other MPs raised RTK development issues in terms of channels and services.