MP Mr. Antti Kaikkonen, ALDE, Finland
Council of Europe 25.6.2009

Honourable Chair,

It is an honour for me to address this Assembly and thank Mr Markku Laukkanen about his excellent report on "The funding of public service broadcasting".

I find it very important, as it is said in the report, that public service broadcasting remains for meeting the needs of individuals and society as a whole with regard to information, education and culture.

Public service broadcasting has its essential role as a public service. It gives information and diverse political opinions and that way strengthens democracy. Public service broadcasters should also function under high editorial standards of objectivity, fairness and independence from party political or economic interference and they should be subject to higher public scrutiny and accountability for their programming than commercial broadcasters. But naturally there has to be enough space for commercial broadcasters also.

It is very important to remember that Public service broadcasting must not be confused with state broadcasting. Public service broadcasting is broadcasting for the public at large.

Public service broadcasting must observe the principle of freedom of expression, under which public authorities refrain from engaging in mass media and try to interfere as little as possible in programming and content questions.

Honourable chair,

Countries have developed over time different traditions in financing their national public service broadcasters. As its said in the report, there is no need and no purpose for these historic developments to be harmonised at European level. Therefore, the financing of public service broadcasting should not be regulated through a binding legal instrument at any other than national level. But good practices are certainly always welcome.

My home country, Finlands television fees are based on the Act on the State Television and Radio Fund. The prices of television fees are confirmed by a Government Decree.

This spring a parliamentary working group, set by Minister of Communications Lindén to clarify the financing of the Finnish Broadcasting Company, proposed the removal of the current TV fee by the end of 2010. As of 2011, a household-specific public service media fee of 175 euros would be collected from every household, also from those without a television. The parliament of Finland has to make a decision of the new model next autumn. It won't be easy.

Honourable chair,

As Mr Laukkanen writes, while funding of public service broadcasting is in the public interest, public service broadcasters must meet quality standards concerning audiovisual content and services.

As a Conclusion, Mr Laukkanen writes, that national parliaments and ministers responsible for media policy should adapt the funding of public service broadcasting in their countries to the new audiovisual media environment, while safeguarding the public service mission and structure of their broadcasters and allowing them to make full use of the technological opportunities for the benefit of the public at large.

And I fully agree with these recommendations.

I Thank You