Romania

[RO] New Regulations on Collection of Licence Fees in Romania

IRIS 2003-4:1/24

Mariana Stoican

Journalist, Bucharest

Government Decree No. 18 of 30 January 2003 amends Article 40 of Act No. 41/1994 on the organisation and functioning of public service broadcasting in Romania.

According to the new rule, all natural and legal persons living or operating in Romania are obliged to pay broadcasting licence fees. Previously, licence fees in Romania only had to be paid by persons who declared ownership of a radio or television set and were therefore potential users of public service channels. Under the new provision, every family is obliged to pay the licence fee as part of their monthly electricity bill. The public service radio and television companies will sign separate agreements for this purpose with the electricity supplier ELECTRICA. Furthermore, all companies operating in Romania are obliged to pay the licence fee, irrespective of whether their premises are equipped with radios and TVs or not. Companies have to pay a fixed monthly fee of ROL 400,000 (EUR 11.13) - regardless of how many receivers they actually use. The actual fee has been reduced, with radio licence fees halved (to ROL 15,000, EUR 0.42 per family). Television fees were cut from ROL 45,000 to ROL 40.000 (EUR 1.11) from 1 February 2003. Despite the reduction in the fees, the Romanian public service broadcasters expect to receive more revenue in future, since the number of fee-payers is much higher. Exemptions are granted to ambassadors and members of the official diplomatic corps in Romania, old people's homes, hospitals and emergency departments, military installations, children's homes and kindergartens, schools, colleges and certain categories of persons with a disability.