NGOs ask Spajić to withdraw from the procedure of the proposal of the Law on Amendments to the Law on RTCG

The non-governmental organizations Media Center, Institute for Media of Montenegro, Center for Investigative Journalism and Association of Professional Journalists submitted today to the Prime Minister of Montenegro Milojko Spajić an Initiative to withdraw from the procedure of the proposal of the Law on Amendments to the Law on the National Public Broadcaster Radio and Television of Montenegro.
As announced by the Media Center, the aforementioned organizations expressed their concern about the urgent change to the Law on the National Public Broadcaster Radio Television of Montenegro (RTCG), as well as the manner in which the change was proposed, and the consequences that they believe this change may cause for the stability of the national public broadcaster.
At the previous session, the Government of Montenegro approved the proposal of the Law on Amendments to the Law on the National Public Broadcaster, Radio and Television of Montenegro. The Government has proposed changes to Article 19 paragraph 1 of the Law, which prescribes and guarantees the financial independence of the RTCG, because the funds of 0.3% of GDP (gross domestic product) are diverted from the budget of Montenegro for the realization of the basic activities of the RTCG. The proposal of the Law adopted by the Government removes the precisely determined percentage of 0.3% of GDP and establishes that funds for performing the basic activity of RTCG will be provided "depending on macroeconomic parameters and consumption limits, with the amount of these funds on the annual level cannot be less than the amount determined for the previous year - it is stated in the announcement.
As they said, the national public media service fulfills an important role in society, in informing, opening dialogue, educating and connecting citizens.
The existing solution provides a stable source of funding for RTCG and is a prerequisite for the editorial independence of that public media organization, which is recognized and welcomed by the European Union. Changing the financing model, by urgent procedure, without prior analysis of the consequences of such a decision on the work of RTCG and consideration of other forms of financing, will negatively affect financial autonomy and opens up space for inappropriate political influence on the national public media service - they added.
The abolition of a fixed percentage of GDP for financing RTCG, as they state, makes long-term and predictable planning of the development of this national public broadcaster impossible.
The planned deletion of the percentage budget allocation for financing RTCG is contrary to EU directives that indicate the necessity of predictable and sufficient financing of the national public media service, which may provoke negative reactions from the institutions of the European Union. Montenegro, within the Parliamentary Committee for Stabilization and Association (SAPC), accepted in 2020 the document Common principles of financing for public media services in the Western Balkans, which explicitly states that "changes to the legal provisions on the financing of JMS (public media service) should be made only after conducting an appropriate impact assessment and analysis made by an independent body, and after comprehensive public consultations with all relevant participants, including public media service and civil society - said the Media Center.
They also stated that independent, stable and predictable financing is emphasized in many European instruments.
Recommendation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe 1878 (2009) on the financing of public broadcasting services requires member states to "(...) guarantee public broadcasters secure and adequate means necessary to fulfill their missions". At the moment, no other financing model has been devised that guarantees the financial independence of RTCG. Subscription (through electricity bills or through some other model) has not been re-introduced as a means of financing, and there are no other protective mechanisms that exclude the influence of the executive authority on the work of RTCG. The proposal to amend the Law on RTCG adopted by the Government is all the more confusing and unnecessary at this moment because the new Law on RTCG, which was prepared for an unjustified long time by the previous two governments, led by Zdravko Krivokapić and Dritan Abazović, is in the final stage of drafting - it is written in announcement of the Media Center.
The signatories of the initiative also said that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) expressed great concern about the consequences of the change in the law, without assessing the impact on the future of RTCG, which calls on the Government to consider the decision and warns that the abolition of the fixed allocation from the budget "could threaten the existence of the Public Service ” and negatively affect the evaluations of the European Commission on Montenegro.
In accordance with the intention of Montenegro to advance the negotiations for EU membership, and I will bear in mind the importance of the Public Media Service RTCG, the obligations from Chapters 10 and 23-24, from the negotiations on EU membership, the standards of the Council of Europe and the principles of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU ), the signatories of the initiative called on the Government to withdraw the proposed changes so that the impact of such a decision on the stability of media financing, which is important for democratization, could be assessed society and held consultations with all relevant participants, including RTCG and civil society - the announcement reads.
The signatories of the initiative said that they believe that the Prime Minister will ensure respect for international standards and best practices and enable RTCG to receive adequate financial resources to fulfill its obligations in society in a sustainable manner.
M.J.