It was decided: RTS and RTV will be financed from budget

Belgrade - Deputy Minister of Culture and Information, Dragan Kolarevic, said that RTS and RTV would within the next two years be financed from the budget. After this period, according to him, new way for their funding will have to be found. It was decided: RTS and RTV will be financed from budget There are two laws, the Law on Electronic Media and the Law on Public Media Services. Public media services are RTS and RTV. In the current economic situation, a decision has been made that the source of funding, however, be the budget," said Kolarevic for TV Pink. Kolarevic, when asked what the legal provisions which should be announced on 7th or 8th of August and on which criticizing the decision that Radio Television Serbia and Radio Television of Vojvodina be financed out of the budget is based on, said that media experts believe that "those who control the budget, can therefore control the functioning of public services and their programmes as well." Kolarevic, however, explains that the statutory provisions provide for mechanisms to prevent it because that would mean direct transfer of money, and with these mechanisms we can be sure that no one can influence the amount being transferred or when it is transferred to public services. According to him, after two years a new method of financing will be found, such as through subscriptions or fees. When it comes to the local level media, he explained that what would more refer to them is the Law on Public Information and Media, and reiterated that the state in this case would be obliged to withdraw from the media. This means that there will be no direct funding, but what would be used is the project financing. "The municipality, the City of Belgrade and the local government will announce Calls for Proposals in the field of information according to the needs of citizens at the local level. These needs are defined by the Law on Public Information and Media, and all entities will be able to apply, both those having been financed from the budget and the private entities, the expert committees will decide on the most the most appropriate entity/ies, "said Kolarevic. Asked about the withdrawal of the state from the media, he said that it was imperative coming from Europe, where main model is project-based financing, but explained that it was often said that "the state need not withdraw from the media, but it should not undermine relations in the market. " "The criticism refers to the fact that by creating budget financing system, different conditions in the market are being created too. It is not a big amount of money, but in any case, those who receive it are in a bit more favorable position. That is why it is said that you do not have to withdraw, but cannot affect the relations in the market, "said Kolarevic. When asked what would happen to the Tanjug news agency that connects all media and all colleagues from the local to the national level frequency Kolarevic told that Tanjug would "undergo the ownership transformation." "It is an obligation which our country has accepted," said Kolarevic. According to him, the Tanjug should be transformed into the communications bureau, in line with the German model. As he said, that part of Tanjug would perform tasks that are of direct relevance to the government - to collect information from the world and the country that are essential to the government, and also a broadcast information that the government is interested to be transmitted around the world. "In that sense, Tanjug will be transformed, and probably for those who are being made ​​redundant a social programme will be made, we still have to see about it, but when these laws are adopted we will start working on it," said Kolarevic. When asked who the new Minister of culture would be, as the former Bratislav Petkovic was "reconstructed", Kolarevic said he did not know, and that it was likely that it would be taken into consideration that many tasks moved forward, which the new team would have to bear into mind. Photo: www.freedigitalphotos.net Tanjug

It was decided: RTS and RTV will be financed from budget

There are two laws, the Law on Electronic Media and the Law on Public Media Services. Public media services are RTS and RTV. In the current economic situation, a decision has been made that the source of funding, however, be the budget," said Kolarević for TV Pink.

Kolarevic, when asked what the legal provisions which should be announced on 7th or 8th of August and on which criticizing the decision that Radio Television Serbia and Radio Television of Vojvodina be financed out of the budget is based on, said that media experts believe that "those who control the budget, can therefore control the functioning of public services and their programmes as well."

Kolarević, however, explains that the statutory provisions provide for mechanisms to prevent it because that would mean direct transfer of money, and with these mechanisms we can be sure that no one can influence the amount being transferred or when it is transferred to public services. According to him, after two years a new method of financing will be found, such as through subscriptions or fees.

When it comes to the local level media, he explained that what would more refer to them is the Law on Public Information and Media, and reiterated that the state in this case would be obliged to withdraw from the media. This means that there will be no direct funding, but what would be used is the project financing.

"The municipality, the City of Belgrade and the local government will announce Calls for Proposals in the field of information according to the needs of citizens at the local level. These needs are defined by the Law on Public Information and Media, and all entities will be able to apply, both those having been financed from the budget and the private entities, the expert committees will decide on the most the most appropriate entity/ies, "said Kolarević.

Asked about the withdrawal of the state from the media, he said that it was imperative coming from Europe, where main model is project-based financing, but explained that it was often said that "the state need not withdraw from the media, but it should not undermine relations in the market. "

"The criticism refers to the fact that by creating budget financing system, different conditions in the market are being created too. It is not a big amount of money, but in any case, those who receive it are in a bit more favorable position. That is why it is said that you do not have to withdraw, but cannot affect the relations in the market, "said Kolarević.

When asked what would happen to the Tanjug news agency that connects all media and all colleagues from the local to the national level frequency Kolarević told that Tanjug would "undergo the ownership transformation." "It is an obligation which our country has accepted," said Kolarević. According to him, the Tanjug should be transformed into the communications bureau, in line with the German model.

As he said, that part of Tanjug would perform tasks that are of direct relevance to the government - to collect information from the world and the country that are essential to the government, and also a broadcast information that the government is interested to be transmitted around the world.

"In that sense, Tanjug will be transformed, and probably for those who are being made ​​redundant a social programme will be made, we still have to see about it, but when these laws are adopted we will start working on it," said Kolarević.

When asked who the new Minister of culture would be, as the former Bratislav Petkovic was "reconstructed", Kolarević said he did not know, and that it was likely that it would be taken into consideration that many tasks moved forward, which the new team would have to bear into mind.