Albania

[AL] Public Broadcasting Charter Adopted

IRIS 2001-1:1/7

Kristina Dahl

Institute of European Media Law (EMR), Saarbrücken/Brussels

On the basis of the Public and Private Radio and Television Act of 30 September 1998, new rules on public service broadcasting entered into force in Albania on 6 July 2000. The rules are designed to regulate and establish the national Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (public service radio and television broadcasting company - RTSH) and ease the transition from state broadcasting to public service broadcasting. The broadcaster is a public body with its headquarters in Tirana. It is obliged under the new rules to serve the public by providing information, education and entertainment to all social groups, including national minorities. RTSH is composed of the administrative bodies of "Albanian Television", "Radio Tirana", several regional radio and television stations and the managing bodies of transmission stations. The new charter regulates the structure of the RTSH, matters of employment law for its employees, its responsibilities in terms of programming (production and transmission) and content, eg the duty to provide objective reporting and to respect human rights. It also contains provisions on technical matters and the funding of the RTSH.