13. 07. 2013

MONEY HUNT FOR RTS

Belgrade, July 13, 2013 (Danas) - Despite announcements, the draft laws on electronic media and public service have not yet been publicly presented and forwarded to public discussion. The reason for that may be the fact that competent authorities still have no idea how to meet the promise made by the First Deputy Prime Minister Vucic to end TV subscription fee and finance public service from the state budget in period of two years.

The Ministry of Finance and Economy says this issue is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture and Media and Serbian Government. In the Ministry of Culture, however, say that this should be taken to the Government, while the Government thinks otherwise. Press center of the Serbian Government forwarded the question of the daily Danas, who will finance the public services, to the Ministry of Culture, while the General Secretariat referred the journalists to the Ministry of Finance. Since Vucic has promised citizens that they would stop paying the TV fee, despite the objections of the Finance Minister Dinkic out of solely financial reasons, it is more likely that Vucic is now expected to make another decision, who will provide funds for RTS and RTV, and how much.

The Law on Electronic Media, which should regulate the public service broadcasters as well, was announced several times to enter public discussion, which was postponed without any given explanation. Then the representatives of the working group for drafting the said law was presented with the two new, separate laws - law on electronic media and the law on public services. Members of the working group refused to sign the texts of these laws, since they did not work on them and because they were generally against the abolition of the RTV fee. It is up to the Ministry then to decide which drafts of the laws will be presented.

However, there is not much time left now, as the Serbian Parliament must adopt the set of media laws no later than September this year, before the October Report of the European Commission on progress of Serbia toward the EU is published, for it to be "positive in the assessment of the country".

Waiting for the decisions of the competent authorities and the adoption of the media laws, RTS and RTV are falling deeper into the financial gutter. Although RTS was getting some financial support from the Government, Director General Aleksandar Tijanic warned that this media "is looking at the closedown in August if the state fails to secure funds for its saving".