OSCE Representative Désir reiterates importance of maintaining sustainable public service broadcaster in Ukraine, urges effective funding solution

VIENNA, 17 November 2017 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today expressed concern about the decision of the Ukrainian authorities to significantly cut the funding of public service broadcaster’s activities.

“Public service broadcasting plays an indispensable role in providing public interest programming and enhancing professionalism of media, thereby contributing to diversity, and pluralism.”

Désir also said that public broadcasting increases government transparency and improves participatory democracy. “I call on the authorities to urgently explore effective mechanisms ensuring the proper funding of the Ukrainian public service broadcaster, as defined in legislation, to enable it to continue the important reform process and fully deliver its remit.”

On 14 November, Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, adopted a law on the state budget for 2018 in the first reading. The budget envisages only around half of the required funding for the public service broadcaster in 2018, which contradicts the law on public television and radio broadcasting that guarantees a fixed amount of 0.2 % of the previous year’s state budget expenditure. 

Earlier in October 2017, during his visit to Kyiv, the Representative raised the issue with the Ukrainian authorities (see //www.osce.org/fom/351561).

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.