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The President of the Portuguese Republic, Jorge Sampaio, has vetoed the new proposed Television Law due to its unconstitutional nature. On 17 June 2002, the President referred Decreto nº 3/IX, Segunda alteração à Lei nº 31-A/98, de 14 de Julho, alterada pela Lei nº 8/2002, de 11 de Fevereiro (Decree nº 3/IX, second amendment to the Act n. 31-A/98 of 14 July, previously amended by Act no. 8/2002 of 11 February) back to the Parliament for re-examination. This move is part of an on-going and highly controversial process related to the centre-right government's intention to reduce public service broadcasting....

On 23 May 2002, the Portuguese Parliament approved an amendment to the Lei de Televisão (Television Law nº 31-A/98 of 14 July) removing the power of the Conselho de Opinião (Advisory Council) of the Public Service Television Broadcaster to veto the government-appointed Administration of the company. Following the Council of Ministers' decision of 9 May 2002 to set up, in six months' time, a new public service broadcasting company with a single generalist channel, RTP's Advisory Council issued a binding statement on 16 May 2002 in which it reacted negatively to the new five-member top management...

The recently elected centre-right government, led by Prime Minister Durão Barroso, has clarified its intention to cut down on public broadcasting. The Programme of the XV Constitutional Government, approved by the Portuguese Parliament on 17 April 2002, states that Radiotelevisão Portuguesa (RTP, S.A.) will be split into two companies. The Government holds that one will remain State-owned, keeping the present broadcasting licence and public service commitments; as yet it has not put forward any plans regarding the future of the other. Public service radio will also be restructured; of the four...

On 4 October 2001, the Alta Autoridade para a Comunicação Social (High Authority for the Media) issued for the first time a negative statement regarding the appointment of a General Director to the public service television company, Radiotelevisão Portuguesa (RTP). According to Article 4 of Lei da Alta Autoridade para a Comunicação Social (Law nº 43/98 of 6 August), the nomination of the Director General of RTP requires a prior, reasoned and public judgment by the High Authority for the Media. In its statement, the High Authority considered that the changes in the functions of the new Director...

Under the aegis of the Alta Autoridade para a Comunicação Social (the Authority for the Media), the Portuguese national broadcasting operators (RadioTelevisão Portuguesa, Sociedade Independente de Comunicação and Televisão Independente) have signed a self-regulatory protocol in order to safeguard human dignity in television programming. The document had been discussed for quite some time, but it was only on 18 September 2001 that the presidents of all of the television companies' boards agreed to sign it. In the first clause of the agreement (which has a total of seven clauses), the operators...