EBU appeals to Slovak government not to pull licence fee

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has appealed to the government of Slovakia not to replace the country’s licence fee with a direct government subsidy as a way to finance public broadcasting.

“If we can all agree that public media require independence, then this means first and foremost financial independence,” EBU vice-president Claudio Cappon told an international consultation entitled Quo Vadis, Slovak Public Service Broadcasting? “Why would you abandon a system which apparently works?”

Slovak culture minister Daniel Krajcer, addressing the same meeting, said the financial situation of Slovakia’s public media was “alarming” and defended the government’s plan to replace the licence fee by direct subsidies.

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