Radio România Internațional

Tag: radio and TV license fee

  • The radio and TV license fee eliminated

    The radio and TV license fee eliminated

    The Romanian Chamber of Deputies rejected the request of President Klaus Iohannis to re-examine the law on the elimination of 102 non-fiscal taxes, as had previously happened in the Senate. The law will be enforced on the first day of the first month after its publication in the Official Gazette.



    Labeling as ungrounded the arguments of President Klaus Iohannis, the new Romanian Parliament decided to eliminate the radio and TV license fees alongside 101 other non-fiscal taxes. The elimination of these taxes had been decided upon by the former Parliament ahead of the December 11 legislative elections, which brought the Social Democrats back to power. However, the Romanian President refused to promulgate the law.



    Although the Constitutional Court declared the law constitutional, Klaus Iohannis sent it back to Parliament for reexamination, because he considered the law had to be re-analyzed from the perspective of the effects felt by citizens. Nevertheless, the law was again passed in its initial form. The initiator of the law, Social Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea, told the Chamber of Deputies after the result of the vote was announced, that the law would help citizens avoid queuing and be humiliated.



    Liviu Dragnea: “From now on these two institutions can be de-politicized, independent from political influence. In the context in which, under this law, they will be allotted a clear budget every year, there is no need for them to lobby Parliament, politicians, the finance minister or any other influential politician of the moment.”



    The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, with which the Social Democrats set up a governing coalition, also voted for the bill, alongside the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, which, in turn, signed a cooperation protocol with the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats. The Ethnic Hungarians had previously expressed their support for maintaining the radio and TV license fees.



    Here is the Ethnic Hungarians’ leader, Kelemen Hunor: “The entire philosophy of budgetary institutions of the public radio and TV stations will change as well as their functioning. The salaries of the institutions’ employees will also be debated and we will soon realize that, through this vote, we have created a general chaos in the two institutions.”



    The national minorities also voted for the passing of the bill in its initial form. From the opposition, the Liberals asked for the exclusion of the radio and TV license fees from the text of the law. Here is the interim president of the National Liberal Party, Raluca Turcan: “No one knows what will happen with the status of these institutions’ employees. We move the funding source of these institutions from their customers to the state budget, which will turn the institutions into simple annexes of the financier, that is of the government”.



    The People’s Movement Party voted for maintaining the radio and TV license fees, as they consider that the public radio and TV stations should be a trigger for rebuilding the credibility of a large part of the mass media in Romania. The Save Romania Union decided to challenge to law at the Constitutional Court.

  • With or without the radio and TV license fee

    With or without the radio and TV license fee

    Recently voted by Parliament and seen by many as a populist measure, the cancellation of the radio and TV license fee alongside 101 other taxes has generated heated reactions in Romania. Actually the law has been voted extremely fast both in the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies.



    Romanian cultural personalities, politicians, NGO representatives as well as media institutions from Romania and abroad have criticized the measure, which has raised lots of questions. Is it a good thing to cancel this fee or not? Have the consequences of this measure been considered? Which are the arguments to support the cancellation of this fee? Will the independence of the public radio and TV stations be affected?



    A public debate was held in Bucharest to try to answer all these questions and to analyze possible effects and alternatives for keeping the radio and TV license fee in place. The participants in the debate have warned on the risk of political control of the two public institutions if they are exclusively financed from the state budget. By canceling this fee the direct link between citizen and public service will be severed, says Ioana Avădanei, the director of the Center for Independent Journalism. She also pointed out that the population would however continue to pay the fee, which will be included in the budget.



    Ioana Avădanei: “The cancellation of the radio and TV license fee is a myth. Actually, the fee does not disappear. It will be incorporated in the state budget, which is made up of the citizens’ money. But the link will no longer be direct”.



    In turn, academician Răzvan Theodorescu has criticized Parliament’s decision, claiming that the elimination of the radio and TV license fee is nothing but political vengeance. Răzvan Theodorescu: “I believe the Romanian President has to make the gesture of rejecting this absurd measure which might place the two public media corporations into a difficult situation.”



    The presidents of the two public corporations are also opposed to the measure. The President Director General of the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation, Ovidiu Miculescu, has warned that the elimination of the fee is a threat to the very functioning of the two public services as of January 1, 2017.



    In turn, the President Director General of the Romanian Television, Irina Radu, says that once the fee is eliminated as a source of funding, the public radio and TV corporations will no longer be able to carry out their activity under Law 41 which currently regulates their functioning and organization.



    However, the draft law on the cancellation of the radio and TV license fee is still to be promulgated by President Klaus Iohannis. He has recently stated that many European media organizations, media trade unions as well as professional associations have called on him not to promulgate the law in its current form, because the two public media institutions risk being controlled politically if they are funded from the state budget.

  • Message by the Management Board of Radio Romania

    Message by the Management Board of Radio Romania


    The members of the Management Board of the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation, SRR, meeting in an extraordinary session on October 25, have sent the following message, voiced by Ovidiu Miculescu, President Director General of the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation, to Radio Romania’s listeners, on the possible consequences produced by the elimination of the radio and TV license fee:



    Dear listeners,



    Today, October 25, following a political decision, the public radio runs the risk of going into the deepest crisis in its 88 year history. Jointly with the members of the Management Board and the management of the company, I would like to assure you that we will honor and accomplish our public mission, as always, respecting the values of democracy, Romania’s Constitution and the country’s citizens.



    Even at this moment of deep uncertainty for the public radio we will further accomplish our mission, with the same devotion and professionalism.

    Also, we don’t give up the idea of defending and
    safeguarding this public service of national and strategic interest from any
    political interference which might turn it into a mere subchapter in a
    Government budget.




    We will further maintain a direct link and relation with our
    listeners, just as Radio Romania has uninterruptedly done, since 1928, up to present,
    in the spirit of democracy and European values.




    We thank you all who stand by our side

  • Radio and TV fee– Ovidiu Miculescu: I challenge Liviu Dragnea’s accusations

    Radio and TV fee– Ovidiu Miculescu: I challenge Liviu Dragnea’s accusations

    Romanian MPs on Tuesday passed by unanimous decision the draft law on the elimination of 100 taxes, including the radio and TV license fee, a law spearheaded by Social-Democratic leader, Liviu Dragnea, despite the advisory decision of the Budget and Finance Committee of the Chamber of Deputies issued on Monday. In its decision, the Committee opted for keeping the fee in place as source of funding for the two public institutions. Under the new law, Radio Romania and the Romanian Public Television are to be fully funded from the state budget.



    Social-Democratic president Liviu Dragnea addressed the President and Director General of Radio Romania, Ovidiu Miculescu, in the plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies, claiming that he had threatened the leader of Social-Democratic MPs with respect to voting the draft law.



    “As regards our budget for the public television and radio, I say it for the tenth and hundredth time, these two institutions are getting large amounts of money from the state budget, and this isnt affecting their independence. I want to ask Mr. Miculescu, here present, before the press and from the Parliament tribune, why he took the liberty of threatening the leader of the Social-Democratic group in Parliament. The Director of the public radio, saying: “Youll see whats going to happen to you. Is Mr. Miculescus attitude a show of independence?, Liviu Dragnea said, quoted by Agerpres news agency.



    The Social Democratic leader went on to ask the President and Director General of the Public Radio whether he was appointed by a political decision and if so, who took this decision, whether he was appointed as a result of a contest and what that contest consisted in. The declarations were made after MPs adopted a draft law on the elimination of over 100 non-fiscal taxes, including the radio and television license fee.



    In response to Mr. Dragneas accusations, the President and Director General of the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation, Ovidiu Miculescu, said, among other things: “I firmly challenge the accusations of Mr. Liviu Dragnea, the President of the Social Democratic Party, made from the Chamber of Deputies tribune. Mr. Dragneas statement is blatantly false, which I can prove any time.



    Outside my office as President and Director General of Radio Romania, an office which I have often used to express my deep concern and disappointment with this measure, I am an ordinary man, and I dont know how anyone could ever interpret the arguments I have raised as part of a debate as a threat. I have always highlighted the fact that this measure is seriously denting the independence and equidistance of the public radio service, preventing Radio Romania from carrying out the public mission it pledged to observe 88 years ago. I admit that sometimes I have been very vocal, something which I ask you to attribute to the energy and hope that Ive invested in the public radio, but I have never said anything that might be seen as a threat, no matter how vague the phrasing. Moreover, I publicly declare that this alleged telephone conversation with a leader of a parliamentary faction, which Mr. Dragnea mentioned, never took place, and I once again want to point out that everything he has said is blatantly false. What is happening right now is both frightening and outrageous. We are witnessing an unbelievable political ambush, whose sole purpose is to weaken and subsequently politicize Radio Romania.



    If we have a closer look, we will notice a clash between what should remain an independent and equidistant public media on the one hand, and a political, or even “realpolitik media, I might say, on the other. The purpose the debate on the independence of public media, which never actually took place, has been hijacked and reinterpreted from a political point of view.



    Public attention is being diverted from certain concepts and principles, and public opinion is being manipulated by means of ad hominem attacks. The first victims were Mr. Dragneas colleagues, who voted in the wake of the excitement stirred by this piece of news. Next in line are Radio Romanias millions of listeners, who will eventually and belatedly discover that the public radio is no longer their radio, that free, serious, unbiased, fair and trusted voice they know, but merely a subchapter in a Government budget.



    Anything can be claimed about anyone in political statements, and when it finds itself at the center of such debates, public media risks losing every time, simply because it lacks the practice of such a manipulative, false and biased discourse of the type we have just witnessed.



    The charges to be eliminated include the so-called green stamp duty for vehicles, fees levied by the National Pension Authority and the Trade Registry, consular and citizenship-related taxes and fees for issuing tax records and temporary passports.



    Finance Minister Anca Dragu told Agerpres that the Government might refer this matter to the Constitutional Court: “We are looking into this option. I can tell you that the global impact stands at 1,6 billion lei, without mentioning the source of financing, as required under the Fiscal Liability Law, the Law on Public Finance and even the Constitution. The Government supports the elimination of some taxes, we have made this point earlier, but only as part of a reasonable financial effort, which we can sustain in 2017. According to Minister Dragu, the impact of eliminating the radio and TV license fee stands at 600 million lei.

  • October 25, 2016 UPDATE

    October 25, 2016 UPDATE

    CELEBRATION – On October 25, King Mihai I turned 95 and the Royal House of Romania is organizing a series of events, until October 28, to mark his anniversary. Medals and distinctions are being offered, concerts and book launches are held and Radio Romania broadcasts a radio drama written by King Mihai and Queen Ana. Mihai I is Romanias last king and the only surviving head of state from WWII. He ruled the country two times, between 1927 and 1930, and between 1940 and 1947, respectively. Forced by the communists to abdicate, on December 30, 1947, the former monarch lived in exile. After the Anti-communist Revolution of 1989, he returned to his native Romania. Also on Tuesday the Romanian Army Day was observed at home and abroad. Military and religious ceremonies were organized in all garrisons and theatres of operation across the country. Floral tributes were also paid at the cemeteries and memorials, in honour of the Romanian heroes in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Russia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. A reburial ceremony was held at Rossoshka, in the Russian Federation, for 594 Romanian military who died in the line of duty in the battle of Stalingrad (todays Volgograd) during WW II. At present, 780 Romanian military are taking part in international missions around the world, 629 of them in Afghanistan.



    NON FISCAL FEES– The Romanian Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday approved the draft law initiated by the Social Democratic Party to abolish over 100 non-fiscal taxes, including the radio and TV license fee, which covers most of the public broadcasters financing. On Monday, the Social-Democrats announced they gave up the idea of cancelling the radio and TV license fee, against the backdrop of harsh criticism voiced by the political class, civil society, representatives of public media institutions, who said the absence of such a fee would significantly impact the autonomy of the public radio and TV broadcasters. On Tuesday, however, Social-Democrat Liviu Dragnea made a comeback and called again, in the plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies, for the elimination of the public radio and TV license fee. The draft law has been endorsed by the Senate, and the Chamber of Deputies is the decision making body on the issue.



    CONSTITUTIONAL COURT – Romanias Constitutional Court on Tuesday ruled that the law on giving in payment, challenged by banking institutions, is partially against the Constitution. The law was enforced on May 13th. Also, the bill allowing the conversion of Swiss-franc loans into the local currency at below-market rates has also reached the Constitutional Court. The Government contested the law because, in their opinion, the form under which it was endorsed by the Chamber of Deputies has come to be more than a form of social protection. Under this bill debtors can ask banks to convert their outstanding debt to local currency loans at the exchange rate prevailing when the loan was extended.



    SMEs– Private small and medium sized enterprises in Romania, which got prizes in the 24th edition of the National Top of the Private Companies in Romania, reported a turnover of 2.2 billion Euro and employed over 26,000 people, Florin Jianu, the President of the National Council of SMEs has today said. According to him, the business environment in Romania should be supported by the state, by measures aimed to cut red tape, encourage the work force and grant funds to SMEs. Jianu has also said it is very important to attract investment, be it local or foreign.



    CETA – The European leaders say the summit scheduled for Thursday and devoted to the signing of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the EU and Canada (CETA) is “still possible, in spite of Belgiums finding it impossible to approve it at the moment, as it announced. Attending the meeting will also be Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, government officials from Ottawa have announced. On Tuesday, the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, the Canadian trade minister, Chrystia Freeland, and the head of the Belgian region of Wallonia, Paul Magnette, held talks in an effort to breathe new life into the negotiations on this agreement. All EU member states have expressed their agreement on the conclusion of a treaty, with the exception of Belgium, which needs the agreement of all its five federal entities. The region of Wallonia, displeased with several provisions of the treaty, particularly those referring to the arbitration of trade disputes between companies and governments, has rejected the agreement.



    NATO – US Ambassador to NATO, Douglas Lute, said in Brussels that NATO would consolidate its presence in Romania and neighboring Bulgaria. The US official said that Romania would host a multinational brigade, with the participation of Bulgaria. The brigade will coordinate the efforts of allied partners, including the United States, who will be deploying military for organizing military exercises in the two countries. Ambassador Lute said that, for the time being, plans on consolidating the presence of NATOs air and naval forces in the Black Sea region are still being discussed. In another development, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO Defense Ministers will discuss NATOs presence in the Black Sea region as part of their meeting scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday in Brussels.



    TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep (WTA no. 4) lost on Tuesday to the worlds number one player Angelique Kerber of Germany, 4-6, 2-6 in the Red Group at the WTA finals in Singapore. Simona won the first match against Madison Keys of the United States, and will take on Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia (WTA no. 8) in the last match. In the White Group, the Czech player Karolina Pliskova (WTA no.5) defeated the Roland Garros defending champion, Spanish Garbine Muguruza (WTA no.6), and Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova (WTA no.9) defeated last years winner of the title, Polish Agnieszka Radwanska (WTA no.3). Simona Halep is participating for the third time in the WTA Finals, after in 2014 she met Serena Williams in the finals, and last year failed to go past the group stage.


    (Translated by D. Vijeu and V. Palcu)

  • October 25, 2016

    October 25, 2016

    CELEBRATION – On October 25, King Mihai I turns 95 and the Royal House of Romania organises a series of events, until October 28, to mark his anniversary. Medals and distinctions are being offered, concerts and book launches are held and Radio Romania broadcasts a radio drama written by King Mihai and Queen Ana. Mihai I is Romanias last king and the only surviving head of state from WWII. He ruled the country two times, between 1927 and 1930, and between 1940 and 1947, respectively. Forced by the communists to abdicate, on December 30, 1947, the former sovereign lived in exile. After the Anti-communist Revolution of 1989, he returned to his native Romania. Military and religious ceremonies are being organised in all garrisons and theatres of operation across the country. Floral tributes are also paid at the cemeteries and memorials, in honour of the Romanian heroes in Austria, Bosnia and Hertzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Russia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. A reburial ceremony is held at Rossoshka, in the Russian Federation, for 594 Romanian military who died in the line of duty in the battle of Stalingrad (todays Volgograd) during WW II. At present, 780 Romanian military are taking part in international missions around the world, 629 of them in Afghanistan.



    NON FISCAL FEES– The Romanian Chamber of Deputies has today approved the draft law initiated by the Social Democratic Party to abolish over 100 non-fiscal taxes, including the radio and TV license fee, which covers most of the public broadcasters financing. On Monday, the Social-Democrats announced they gave up the idea of cancelling the radio and TV licence fee, against the backdrop of harsh criticism voiced by the political class, civil society, representatives of public media institutions, who said the absence of such a fee would significantly impact the autonomy of the public radio and TV broadcasters. Today, however, Social-Democrat Liviu Dragnea made a come back and called again, in the plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies, for the elimination of the public radio and TV license fee. The draft law has been endorsed by the Senate, and the Chamber of Deputies is the decision making body on the issue.



    CONSTITUTIONAL COURT – Romanias Constitutional Court is today delivering its ruling on 33 notifications regarding the unconstitutionality of the new law on giving in payments, which allows mortgage debtors who cant repay their loans to give the mortgaged assets to the bank and stop paying back the loans. The law was enforced on May 13th. Also, the bill allowing the conversion of Swiss-franc loans into the local currency at below-market rates has also reached the Constitutional Court. The Government contested the law because, in their opinion, the form under which it was endorsed by the Chamber of Deputies has come to be more than a form of social protection. Under this bill debtors can ask banks to convert their outstanding debt to local currency loans at the exchange rate prevailing when the loan was extended.



    SMEs– Private small and medium sized enterprises in Romania, which got prizes in the 24th edition of the National Top of the Private Companies in Romania, reported a turnover of 2.2 billion Euro and employed over 26,000 people, Florin Jianu, the President of the National Council of SMEs has today said. According to him, the business environment in Romania should be supported by the state, by measures aimed to cut red tape, encourage the work force and grant funds to SMEs. Jianu has also said it is very important to attract investment, be it local or foreign.



    CETA – The European leaders say the summit scheduled for Thursday and devoted to the signing of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the EU and Canada (CETA) is “still possible, in spite of Belgiums finding it impossible to approve it at the moment, as it announced. Attending the meeting will also be Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, government officials from Ottawa have announced. Today, the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, the Canadian trade minister, Chrystia Freeland, and the head of the Belgian region of Wallonia, Paul Magnette, have held talks in an effort to breathe new life into the negotiations on this agreement. All EU member states have expressed their agreement on the conclusion of a treaty, with the exception of Belgium, which needs the agreement of all its five federal entities. The region of Wallonia, discontent about several provisions of the treaty, particularly those referring to the arbitration of trade disputes between companies and governments, has rejected the agreement.



    TENNIS– Romanian tennis player Simona Halep (WTA no.4) is today facing Angelique Kerber of Germany (WTA no.1), in the Red Group of the Champions Tournament in Singapore. Simona is first seeded in the group, after having defeated in the first round, American Madison Keys, whereas Kerber is second seeded, the German player defeating Slovak Dominika Cibulkova (WTA no.8). In the White Group, the Czech player Karolina Pliskova (WTA no.5) defeated the Roland Garros defending champion, Spanish Garbine Muguruza (WTA no.6), and Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova (WTA no.9) defeated last years winner of the title, Polish Agnieszka Radwanska (WTA no.3). Simona Halep is participating for the third time in the Champions Tournament, after in 2014 she met Serena Williams in the finals, and last year failed to go past the group stage.(Translated by D. Vijeu)