PODGORICA, 29.05.2024. – Prime Minister Milojko Spajić’s office has submitted a revised Law on the National Public Broadcaster (RTCG) for review to the European Commission without public consultation. This version contains substantial changes compared to the draft produced by the Working Group.
The criteria for the director of RTCG are significantly reduced – only five years of work experience, as well as the method of selecting NGO representatives to the RTCG Council (the Parliamentary Administrative Committee will have the final say). This is opposed to the initial proposal, which required ten years of experience for the general director and considered the number of proposals for NGOs as the deciding factor for their election to the RTCG Council.
The Ministry of Culture and Media has distanced itself from this proposal. Director of the Media Directorate, Nedjeljko Rudović, stated that they were excluded from the subsequent consultations with the European Commission and that they stand by the initial proposal of the multisectoral Working Group.
The Trade Union of Media of Montenegro, as a member of the Working Group, believes that if the Government adopts this proposal, it will be a significant step backward and will undermine nearly two years of work by this body.