Cyprus

[CY] Appointment of a new Board of the Radio Television Authority

IRIS 2016-8:1/8

Christophoros Christophorou

Council of Europe expert in Media and Elections

On 13 July 2016, the Council of Ministers appointed a new governing board of the Radio Television Authority following the expiration of the mandate of the previous board in mid-June 2016. The new Chairperson, a former attorney and minister of Justice and Public Order, has already served in the same position. He served from 1998, the year of the establishment by law of the Authority, until 2004. One of the members of the previous board continues on the new board.

The appointments have been effected on the basis of recent amendments of the Law on Radio Television Organisations 7(I)/1998 affecting both the appointment procedure and the status of the Chairperson. Article 4 of the Law, providing for the appointment of the Authority's board, was amended by Law 77(I)/2016 as follows:

“While the Council of Ministers remains the appointing body, the appointment of the Chairperson and the vice-Chairperson is effected on a proposal by the President of the Republic to the Council of Ministers. Under the Presidential system of Cyprus, the President of the Republic appoints the “independent officers”, namely the Attorney General, the Auditor General and others, while the Council of Ministers appoints the boards of legal entities of Public Law according to Article 54 of the Constitution.”

The status of the Chairperson, serving since 2011 as “executive President” with full-time employment, is reverted to its previous form. Now, the Chairperson presides over the meetings and deliberations of the Authority with no executive status. Therefore, the Director of the Authority remains its sole executive agent.

The present composition of the Authority's board comprises three lawyers (including the Chairperson), two communication professionals, one chartered accountant and an electrical engineer.

The new board is expected, among other things, to proceed with the final touches on major amendments to the law and, following that, to work on the issuance of permanent operation licences in the digital environment established in July 2011.