3 hours agoSEEMO stands up for RTK: Do Not Stop Power
Periskopi(5 years ago)
(5 years ago)The Vienna-based Southeast European Media Organisation SEEMO expresses concern over the fact that the public broadcaster, Kosovo Radio Television, continues to be subject to political pressure in Kosovo. The main problem in this regard is failure to find a sustainable way to finance the public broadcaster, as RTK is still financed by [...]
The main problem in this direction is failure to find a sustainable way to finance the public broadcaster, as RTK is still funded from the state budget, jeopardising its editorial and institutional independence.
Article 4 of the Law for RTK stipulates that: “Location should ensure institutional autonomy and adequate financing in the function of the public service RTK, which is his” mission. However, in line with the situation at this moment, RTK has not yet received expected access from the budget for labour management and the society service mission. Kosovo's Assembly should secure institutional autonomy and adequate financing for executing the public service mission RTK's.
SEEMO is also alarmed by the fact that according to plans for 2022, the Government is planning to cut the current budget of RTKs from 11.2m to 8.96m euros. In 2018, Kosovo Parliament adopted a new bill for RTK, which includes a mixed financing mechanism, mainly from pre-paid . 2.50.UR for families to be collected through electricity bills and a small percentage (0.4%) of the state budget. However, regarding this draft, nothing has moved. A Priority Improved Law RTKs and the creation of a stable legal and financial framework that will enable the development of the Public Service Media on Kosovo.
RTK will play its important role in informing citizens, including education and entertainment, especially in the pandemic. Without adequate financing, the public broadcaster cannot fulfil broad tasks for society, including service to minorities and sensitive groups. SEEMO is also very concerned by the three-month reporting proposal in Parliament, which we believe expose RTK under possible political interference. RTK must report to Parliament every year as predicted by law.
Annual reporting fully meets the need to verify spending and realisation of obligations. The additional pressure on RTK is the next wording: “Commission underlines that spending on the April-Qarsor period should be in line with the Public Finance Management Law provisions and cannot be used for pre-priced obligations without the adoption of changes in Project 2021”. That leaves it. RTK in position that the accounts can block the bank account RTK's, even though RTK has a planned debt return programme. Recently, Kosovo's Privatisation Agency is launching a procedure to privatise the RTK building.
We encourage Kosovo's Parliament to find a solution that will enable RTK's doing his job in public interest and not being hampered by this new development. RTK must work on the programme without any external impact on the broadcast.
We want to remind politicians in Kosovo, including all MPs Place of Kosovo, President of Kosovo Prime Minister Kosovo and all ministers, that freedom of expression, media freedom and information freedom are the fundamental rights of any democratic society, through which citizens can obtain and provide information on a variety of topics, and on issues of public importance. MPs to other ministers, politicians from ruling party and opposition to Kosovo, cannot influence the content of editorial / policy programmes Public Broadcasting RTK.
Institutional independence is an absolute prerequisite for public confidence in the Public Service Media. Independence is one of the most important principles embedded in any democracy and according to all international standards. Public service broadcasters should be an important public source of impartial information and different political opinions.
