Government Kurti reduces RTK budget

For this decision, a strong response has come from the RTK Board.

In response, it becomes known that the board has addressed a request for review of the budget planned for RTK to the competent state bodies.

Kosovo Radio Television's “Bord expresses concern over the split budget of 8.96m euros, which was approved yesterday in the Kosovo Assembly. The 8.96m-euro budget (as much as it was for this year) is the smallest budget it has divided RTK's in the last 10 years. This budget is smaller for 2.2 million than the 2021 budget, when RTK was clearly mismanaged. This mismanagement has been confirmed by the National Audition Office in their RTK performance auditing report 2019-2021, as well as an audit report on the annual RTK financial mirrors for 2021. As a result, among other things, 1.6m euros of debt have been inherited, posing constant threats to the crash of RTK's accounts by the spenders.

The RTK Board recalls that this budgetary division rules out the practical possibility of any capital investment in RTK, whether in labour equipment, new technology, distribution of signal or quality content. The divided budget, and other self - interest revenues from marketing, and the planned savings, do not ensure either the completion of the legal requirement for contracting independent productions, nor do they ensure full repayment of debts created by past managements over the years.

There are many devices in RTK that have not been changed since it was founded RTK, because there hasn't been capital investments for long. Despite these challenges, this year is closing down without new debts, with increased accountability and transparency, saving to different spending lines, restructuring the nature of expenditures, not continuing illegal contracts for close to 250 foreign collaborators. Therefore, although the Board and management will take care of other savings and restructuring that serves production and efficiency, this will not provide space for capital investments that are vital for normal public broadcaster functioning.

RTK Board has addressed a request for review of the budget planned for RTK to competent state bodies, legislative and exclusive. The demand has been elaborate on why this budget is insufficient for RTK's functioning, and is not in line with the Board's plans. At the same time, the same ones have also been informed about the work and reforms that have been undertaken, as well as deep reform that is beginning soon. But, so far, Board of RTK's received no answers to this request.

Board RTK has demanded that RTK's budget be divided for 2023 as defined with the RTK Law, specifically on Article 21 and paragraph 4, so that the progress made is visible. This requirement was made only for 2023 as a transitional year, since the Board is finalising proposals for RTK funding models, where the year 2024 is intended to be the beginning year of public broadcaster's prepaid and self-finance, under the new law, which should be initiated as soon as possible.

Board RTK considers that since the selection process, also assessed by the European Commission in the Kosovo Report, as well as the work and commitment so far, a new moment has been created for RTK, from which RTK's future is derived.

In this context, the Board of RTK once again asks the Kosovo Assembly to consider the requirements presented between two budgetary readings, these requirements based on development and RTK through capital investments, rather than operational spending” are said to be in RTK's response.