Worldwide organizations criticize Slovakia for the STVR Act

Reporters With out Borders and the European Affiliation of Public Media EBU criticize the brand new Act on Slovak Tv and Radio. The journalists’ group desires the Slovak president to droop the legislation.

“Opposite to European legislation, there’s a threat that public media will develop into authorities propaganda stations and press freedom in Slovakia shall be in critical hazard,” Reporters With out Borders wrote. in his assertion. Yearly, the group based mostly in Paris compiles an outline of the liberty of the press on the earth, by which Slovakia, even earlier than all of the modifications, fell to the twenty ninth place from the earlier seventeenth .

The brand new president of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini, stated that he desires to comply with the textual content of the legislation and never the feelings that come up round him. He stated he wouldn’t be underneath any stress from the media, activists or shouting on social networks. “After I was making ready this legislation, I used to be nonetheless the chairman of the coalition celebration. Now we have our personal tackle the way forward for RTVS. If I don’t see one thing that may violate the structure or the place I doubt that it’s an impediment to freedom of speech or that the staff wouldn’t be capable of do their job usually, I’ll ship I truly signed it. .” he stated.

The Geneva headquarters of the European Broadcasting Union described the approval of the legislation with out public session as a blow to democracy and impartial media in Slovakia. “We’re involved that the legislation was handed regardless of protests in Slovakia and powerful opinions and considerations from the worldwide group, the media and press freedom teams. Though a few of these considerations have been addressed within the authentic amended proposal, there are nonetheless clear threats to the independence of the general public media, together with the watchdog’s potential politicization, location the Ethics Fee and attainable stress on the CEO and senior administration. ” she observed EBU on problematic areas of the legislation.

As a result of new legislation, the present director Ľuboš Machaj and the board of administrators will terminate instantly from July. The brand new administration shall be in September on the earliest, till then the tv shall be managed by a legislative consultant chosen by the licensed Speaker of the Parliament.

“The persistent and ongoing lack of ample funding of public media in Slovakia will solely undermine their potential to successfully fulfill their democratic function. The EBU urgently calls on the Slovak authorities to correctly help the general public media in Slovakia and to completely respect its obligations underneath the Freedom of the Press Act,” the EBU stated, referring to the ruling European not too long ago authorised.

The vice-chairman of the Slovak Nationwide Council, Andrej Danko (SNS), believes that the brand new tv shall be financially stronger, as it’ll have the next restrict for broadcast promoting. Due to the a lot bigger house for enterprise messages, it is best to in line with him, it may attain as much as 50 million euros per 12 months.