29. 09. 2012

System of fee guarantees independence

Financing of public services broadcasting in European countries

Belgrade, September 29, 2012. (Danas) - Despite the complaints of citizens in Serbia and some politicians wanting to abolish the obligation of paying subscription fee to public service broadcasting, it should be known that the majority of public services in Europe are financed in the same way. Not many countries decided to finance public services from the state budget. However, this was done by contries such as Andorra, Estonia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco and Spain, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal and Cyprus.

To ensure the right to objective information and independence of public service, the European Union opposes to their state funding and recommends a system of collection of the fee. The subscription depends on the economic conditions in a country. In the European countries; it is common to be in the level of monthly subscriptions for a daily paper. The way the fee is collected differs in different countries of Europe and is done by specialized agencies, state agencies, electricity companies, postal services or by public service broadcasters.