Belgium

[BE] New Decree and new Management for RTBF

IRIS 2003-4:1/11

François Jongen

Catholic University of Louvain, Avocat (lawyer)

The RTBF (public-service radio and television service for the French-speaking Community in Belgium) has acquired a new management as a result of an original three-stage process, completed on 24 March.

The first stage was the adoption on 19 December 2002 of a decree amending the decree of 14 July 1997 on the status of the RTBF. This latest decree made a number of specific changes to the 1997 decree, particularly as regards the role of the regional production centres, the composition of the board of directors, negotiation of the management contract and the appointment of the general administrator. However, the most important feature of the new decree is that it sets up a scheme involving a six-year term of office with a public call for applications from candidates for the posts of directors-general, directors, senior editors and senior directors.

In the second stage, in January 2003, the RTBF called for applications from candidates to fill 42 posts at managerial level - not only in television, radio, human resources and legal services but also as managers of channels or in various editorial posts (applications for these last posts were only accepted from in-house applicants). More than 160 applications were received, and handed over to a group of experts for examination.

The third and final stage took place on 28 February 2003, when the board of directors decided on the list of successful candidates. Although the press highlighted a certain degree of interference on the part of the political parties in the appointment process, it was unanimous in viewing this new procedure as a form of renewal for the RTBF.

The new staff will be responsible for implementing the "Magellan Plan" drawn up by the RTBF's general administrator in order to straighten out its financial situation. The new directors have been appointed for a period of six years, but they could be dismissed after an assessment procedure that is to be carried out after three years.


References

  • Décret du 19 décembre 2002 modifiant le décret du 14 juillet 1997 portant statut de la RTBF, publié au Moniteur belge du 28 décembre 2002
  • http://www.moniteur.be
  • Decree of 19 December 2002 amending the decree of 14 July 1997 on the status of the RTBF, published in the Moniteur belge (official gazette) of 28 December 2002

  • Version coordonnée du décret statutaire de la RTBF (intégrant les modifications de 2002 dans le texte de 1997)
  • http://www.csa.cfwb.be/pdf/Décret%20RTBF.pdf
  • Consolidated version of the decree on the status of the RTBF (incorporating the 2002 amendments into the 1997 text)

This article has been published in IRIS Legal Observations of the European Audiovisual Observatory.