OSCE Media Freedom Representative Désir calls on Ukrainian Government not to cut budget of public service broadcaster
VIENNA, 31 March 2020 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, called today on the Ukrainian Government not to cut the budget of the public broadcasting company of Ukraine, UA:PBC.
In a draft governmental bill to amend the 2020 national budget in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant portion of the budget of the public service broadcaster would be sequestered, in order to find new funds for counteracting COVID-19 in Ukraine. The draft, in its latest version, proposed the reduction of state support for UA:PBC by 178 million Hryvnas (5.6 million Euro), to the amount of 1.5 billion Hryvnas (47.6 million Euro). The cuts would also affect the spheres of cinematography, book publishing and other cultural projects. The draft bill was voted down today by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and returned to parliamentary committees for further discussions.
“I call on the Ukrainian authorities to urgently explore and find effective solutions to preserve the budget of UA:PBC and the mission of the public service broadcaster,” Désir said. “In today’s health crisis, the public service broadcaster has an indispensable role to play in providing reliable information to the population, reporting on the pandemic and combating false information. This is not the time to risk the economic sustainability of public service media,” concluded the Representative.
The OSCE Representative recalls his previous interventions on different occasions expressing concern over the financial sustainability as well as the independence and viability of the public service broadcaster UA:PBC, which can be found here: https://www.osce.org/representative-on-freedom-of-media/447478 and https://www.osce.org/representative-on-freedom-of-media/410984
The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. He provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom.