20. 06. 2011

Recommendations to local self-governments for the direction and allocation of budget funds intended for public information system

In the past year, ANEM, NUNS and Local Press had several consultations held with representatives of the Ministry of Culture, Ministry for Public Administration and Local Self-Government, Ministry of Finance and SKGO/SCTM about the possible ways of regulating the financing system of media from the budgets of local self-governments. In late August 2010, these media and journalists' associations prepared and forwarded to the said ministries concrete proposal of recommendations for regulating the system of financing local media that would establish a system of allocation of the budget funds on a project basis and in a transparent and non-discriminatory manner.

As a result of efforts of these associations, the two competent ministries - the Ministry of Culture, Media and Information Society, Ministry for Human and Minority Rights, Public Administration and Local Self-Government - have forwarded to local self-governments their recommendations, based largely on the proposals of the associations. These recommendations are available on the website of the Ministry of Culture, Media and Information Society.

However, although these recommendations are a step in the right direction just by the fact that they have been published by relevant ministries and sent to local self-governments, as well as the fact that they represent the first attempt to regulate the system of budget financing of media on a project basis, according to the associations, they are still an insufficient step and considerably different in their essence from the recommendations that were suggested by our associations.

The key problem of the text of published recommendations reflects in the fact that, despite already being non-obligatory, they have been further devalued by not being applied to all local budget funds for public information, but only to their undetermined part. In this way, it would be still possible to finance media, as before, regardless of any public competitions or any clearly-set and predetermined criteria, using non-transparent procedures that are detrimental to free market competition and favoring obedient media and those owned or controlled by local self-governments. Additionally, the recommendations - contrary to the associations' proposals - envision that members of the Commissions that decide on allocation of the funds have to be representatives of local self-governments as well, which seriously jeopardizes independence and autonomy of the Commissions themselves.

For this reason, ANEM, NUNS and Local Press reacted with a public statement, expressing serious doubts about the content of that document.

ANEM, NUNS and Local Press will continue to advocate for regulation of media financing at the local level by establishing a system of allocating budget funds on a project basis and through a transparent and non-discriminatory procedures in such a way that will encourage the development of local media.