Ukraine

[UA] Ukrainian public service broadcasting law adopted

IRIS 2014-6:1/36

Andrei Richter

Comenius University (Bratislava)

The Statute Про Суспільне телебачення і радіомовлення України (“On Public Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine”), adopted by the Supreme Rada on 17 April 2014, was promulgated by the acting President Turchinov and enters into force on 15 May 2014. The law replaces the 1997 statute on the System of Public Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine (IRIS 1998-4/10), which has never been enforced. The Statute envisions that all state-run TV, radio companies, including regional and world services, shall be transformed into a joint entity under the control of civil society. The Statute establishes the priority of public interests over the commercial and political ones (Art. 3). It outlines legal and institutional frameworks to protect the independence and accountability of public service broadcasting.

Civil society representatives form the majority of the Supervision Council of the new company (Art. 4). The Council approves the executive body, the Board, after a contest among candidates (Art. 7).

It also rules that the national budget will finance public broadcasting by providing at least 0.2 percent of its previous year’s fund, while advertising shall not exceed 5 percent of the hourly airtime (Art. 14). The property of the new National Public Television and Radio Company of Ukraine (NSTU) belongs to the state (Art. 15).

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, welcomed adoption of the law on public broadcasting in Ukraine as a big effort to institutionally reinforce media freedom in the country. She pointed to her particular approval that the legal review of the law’s draft made by her Office in 2013 was acknowledged and fully taken into account by the deputies.


References

  • Про Суспільне телебачення і радіомовлення України. Верховна Рада України; Закон від 17.04.2014 № 1227-VII
  • http://zakon4.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1227-18/print1394462225501607
  • Act “On Public Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine” N 1227-VII of 17 April 2014, officially published in Holos Ukrainy daily on 14 May 2014, N 91.

  • Press release of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, “OSCE Representative welcomes new Ukrainian public service broadcasting law as way to improve media pluralism”, 14 May 2014
  • http://www.osce.org/fom/118565

  • комментарий к проекту закона украины «Об Общественном телевидении и радиовещании Украины»
  • http://www.osce.org/ru/fom/104653
  • OSCE legal review on the Statute “On Public Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine”
  • http://www.osce.org/fom/104652

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