The EBU has called for Kosovo “to find an adequate, stable and predictable” source of funding for the public service broadcaster Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK).
According to the EBU, its DG Ingrid Deltenre has written to the president of the assembly of the Republic of Kosovo Kadri Veseli, as well as Isa Mustafa, the PM of Kosovo, in support of an urgent amendment to the law on public service broadcasting that would guarantee such funding.
Government funding for RTK will run out this June and in the letter Deltenre said: “Stable funding is an indispensable prerequisite for RTK to produce trusted programmes for everyone and for RTK’s essential contribution to social cohesion.
“Additionally, in the context of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement signed with the EU Commission, it is worth noting that sustainable funding of public service media is a requirement under the EU Amsterdam Protocol.”
RTK says its current budget of €11 million, which includes €2 million from advertising, is insufficient due to rising costs and the need to renew its production and distribution infrastructure.
The annual budgets of EBU members of similar sizes such as Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Macedonia are in the range of €17-22 million.
