Germany

[DE] 15th Inter-State Broadcasting Agreement Signed

IRIS 2011-2:1/20

Anne Yliniva-Hoffmann

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

The heads of government of the Länder signed the 15. Rundfunkänderungsstaatsvertrag (15th Agreement Amending the Inter-State Broadcasting Agreement - RÄStV) at the Minister-Presidents’ conference held in Berlin on 15 December 2010.

Under the agreement, a new contribution model for the financing of public service broadcasting will be introduced in 2013. The obligation to pay the licence fee will no longer be based on ownership of a reception device, but on that of a home (Art. 2(1) RÄStV), place of business (Art. 5(1) RÄStV) or non-privately used vehicle (Art. 5(2) RÄStV; see IRIS 2010-6/21). In order to reduce the burden on small businesses and the part-time self-employed, one vehicle per place of business will be exempt.

The current standard fee (EUR 17.98 per month) will not be raised before 2015 at the earliest. Disabled people who are capable of working will pay a third of the standard fee (Art. 4(2) RÄStV).

The Gebühreneinzugszentrale (Fee Collection Office - GEZ) remains responsible for levying the fees, although it will no longer be necessary to check whether broadcasting devices are being used in individual households. The addresses of people to whom the fee applies can be obtained from residents’ registration offices in cases where the people concerned do not register their obligation to pay the fee themselves (Art. 8 and 11 RÄStV).

The RÄStV still needs to be ratified by the Land parliaments.