Verkhovna Rada refused to allocate additional funds to a public broadcasting service

The Verkhovna Rada rejected the amendment of Deputy Viktoriya Syumar on allocating additional funds in the amount of 428,297.4 thousand UAH for ensuring the activity and full functioning of the National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (NPBCU).

As reported on the website of the Public Broadcasting, on Thursday the Parliament voted for the draft law on amending the law “On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2017” in the second reading, while not taking into account the amendment on the financing of the NPBCU.

This money had to be provided for the implementation of broadcasting, for making settlements with telecommunications service providers in accordance with the terms of the license, for payment for consumed utilities and energy.

The issue of financing of NPBCU, according to the law, was postponed to September 2017.

As a reminder, on July 13, the public organization Reanimation Package of Reforms announced an appeal demanding from the Verkhovna Rada to ensure the full financing of public broadcasting.

On July 12, it became known that the amendment on the financial support of the National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine, which was supported by the Budget Committee on July 11, disappeared from the draft law “On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2017”.

Earlier, the Verkhovna Rada voted for the State budget on the 2017 year, which offered financial support to NPBCU in the amount of 970,797.8 UAH. They refused to give additional 309,202.2 UAH, as National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine was to receive funding in the amount of 0.2% of the State budget in accordance with the law “On Public Television and Radio Broadcasting in Ukraine”, which is approximately 1.28 billion UAH.

On December 21, 2016, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman promised that the total budget of the public joint-stock company National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine in 2017 will not be less than 1.2 billion UAH.

Chairman of the Board of the NPBCU Zurab Alasania noted that in case of underfunding of public broadcasting, public TV and radio companies throughout Ukraine will produce content that can not compete in quality and this will not provide a sufficient rating, as consequence the reform will not be completed fully.