The information that Public Service Radio and Television of Montenegro (RTCG) and NGO Center for Civic Education signed the contract “Facts matter”,whose execution is mostly financed by the EU Delegation in Podgorica, brought up question whether this contract represents an intrusion of the independence of the Public Broadcasting Service. This further poses question whether the EU Delegation and the Center for Civic Education directly influence the programs of the Public Broadcasting Service. As reported from the EU Delegation and the Center for Civic Education, everybody’s doing their own job, and independence of the Public Broadcasting Service of Montenegro isn’t jeopardized. There are, however, those who think that the EU is directly involved into the editorial policy of the Public Broadcasting Service.
“Within this program of media professionalism, the EU provides grants aimed at construction of the media facilities and improvement of their professionalism”, said the EU Delegation.
The Public Broadcasting Service announces that the Council of the Radio and Television of Montenegro will reconsider the contract, as soon as they get the legal interpretation and find out whether the signing of this contract violated the law.
The Report of the EC on Montenegro which was published earlier this month estimated that no progress had been made regarding freedom of speech.
Coordinator for development within the Center for Civic Education, Damir Nikočević, said that the role of this NGO was strictly coordinating, and that the topics elaborated in the programs are chosen by journalists .
The Public Broadcasting Service assures that none of those projects influences its independence. Besides, the EU, as they say, would never launch a project that would undermine the independence of the Public Service.
Secretary General of the Public Service, Andrijana Kadija, said that the Council’s decision had been addressed to the Legal Office.
“The Council obliged us to design the annex to the contract. I don’t think that the independence of the Public Service is undermined. This is the project carried out together with the EU Delegation and NGOs and, therefore, this is supposed to be a step forward for us, not back”, said Kadija.
On the other side, Vice President of the “Movement for Changes”, Koča Pavlović , among others, thinks that this agreement is completely inappropriate and unacceptable.
“This agreement undoubtedly has a strong corrupt power and it can be considered as en example of unauthorized trade of political influence”, said Pavlović.
