05. 08. 2005

AMENDMENTS DAMAGING TO VOJVODINA

NOVI SAD, August 5, 2005 – The draft amendments to the Broadcast Act, put into the urgent parliamentary procedure and scheduled to be debated on August 20, were brought without consulting the professional organisations. These amendments are damaging to Vojvodina, said the Information Secretary of the province Milorad Djuric at the press conference held yesterday. Djuric stated that the proposed abrogation of provision of the Broadcast Act, which envisages that the Broadcast Council cannot bring any decisions concerning the privatisation and status of media in the province without the consent of the council member from Vojvodina, would deprive it from having any power in regulating the media scene in the province. Djuric also said the proposed postponement of the privatisation of the state-owned media to the end of 2008 was unacceptable, as well as delays in forming of the public service broadcaster until April 30, 2006. Djuric noted that these changes would only hinder the resolution of the media sector’s accumulated problems. He also pointed to the problem of RTS subscription introduction, which would start from September 2005, saying that it would not support the work of the public services but rather the public company RTS, which should split the income from Vojvodina with RTV Novi Sad.