30. 08. 2005

RTS SUBSCRIPTION AS OF OCTOBER 1?

BELGRADE, August 30, 2005 (B92) - As of October 1, citizens of Serbia will pay a subscription for Radio Television of Serbia together with their electricity bills. According to the amendments to the Broadcast Act, citizens will have to pay subscription for RTS. The final amount of TV subscription has not been set, but is estimated at about 300 dinars a month. Minister of Culture Dragan Kojadinovic does not expect TV subscription will cause any damages to the Electric Power Industry of Serbia because RTS will have a separate bank transfer account. Minister Kojadinovic said that payment through electricity bills, although not without its shortcomings, is the most efficient method for financing a public service: “Both EPS and RTS are public companies and I believe that there will be no problems with subscription payment. There are no difficulties and accounts and revenues of EPS will not be jeopardized -- there will be a separate transfer account for subscription. It is a fact that everyone in this country has electricity, but not everyone pays for communal services or a phone line. This is the only way to collect the subscription and I think that there will be no difficulties in technical implementation”, said Kojadinovic. MPs from the Democratic Party in the Serbian Parliament have criticized the amendments to the Broadcast Act discontinuing the right of veto for the Vojvodina's representative in the Broadcasting Council. Chief of the Democratic Party's parliamentary group Dusan Petrovic said that Vojvodina's autonomy has been violated, while the government in Serbia and the media which is supposed to be a public service is being increasingly centralized. “There is not a single reason to disallow Vojvodina's representative, chosen by this parliament, to decide on the Broadcast Act issues related to the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. Without decentralization there can be no stability in the country. If the government keeps insisting, as is the case here, on centralistic solutions, there will be no stability”, said Petrovic. Serbian Parliament has also discussed today the withdrawal of criminal charges against Marko Milosevic. Although the Minister of Justice Zoran Stojkovic said that the Government of Serbia considers this case over, Serbian Renewal Movement -- according to the Minister Kojadinovic -- will insist on full investigation. He said that the investigation should be continued to find out whether Zoran Milovanovic, who has requested withdrawal of charges, has been persuaded, forced or threatened. Representatives will vote tomorrow on the amendments to the Broadcast Act and High Education Act. It is expected that both draft laws will be adopted. Today's session started late because President of the Parliament demanded a session of the Kosovo and Metohija Board dedicated to the murder of two Serbian boys in Kosovo.