EU expresses concern about political influence on new RTSH board

Parliament voted on March 17 on the composition of the new RTSH Governing Council, electing individuals closely linked to politics to this institution, which concerned organizations that protect media freedom and, more recently, the European Union.

Fatjon Hoxhalli, 38 years old, with nearly a decade of work experience as a close advisor to Niko Peleshi, during his duties in the executive and as chairman of the socialist parliamentary group, was voted chairman of this council.

The 10-member board also includes the advisor to former socialist minister Bledi Çuçi, a former deputy minister in the "Rama" government, and names who come from the field of art or journalism, but who have a political background or closeness to the Socialist Party and the Democratic Party.

RTSH is the only public broadcaster in the country and, according to legal provisions and media freedom standards, should be independent from politics. These standards have been completely jeopardized by the recent election, raising concerns about the country's commitments to the integration process.

The European Union Delegation in Tirana told BIRN that it has been closely following the issue of the mass dismissal of members of the public broadcaster's Board of Directors and the appointment of new members by Parliament, reiterating the importance of RTSH's independence for meeting democratic standards.

“The independence of Albania's public broadcaster, including the risks of political influence in the appointments of the Director General and the Governing Board, has been a long-standing issue highlighted by the EU on Albania's path to membership,” the EU office in Tirana said in a response.

The EU reminds Albania of the commitments made in the framework of the negotiations, commitments that ensure, among other things, "a complete reform of the legal and regulatory framework for the media, including the aim of strengthening the independence of the public broadcaster."

“Among other stated commitments, Albania must ensure that the governing council overseeing the public broadcaster has a pluralistic composition, is composed of qualified individuals, represents the media community and enjoys autonomy from government and corporate control,” the EU response emphasizes, clearly implying that the recent vote in the Assembly does not fulfill these commitments.

The European Commission's progress reports emphasize the importance of an independent public broadcaster, and in particular political influence in the selection of the board, as one of the pillars of the assessment of media freedom.

The composition of the new board of directors, elected just a few days after Parliament decided to dissolve the previous board amid allegations of legal violations in the selection of the new director of RTSH, was also criticized by organizations that defend media freedom.

The Journalists' Association of Albania described the vote as a predominance of narrow party interests over the public interest and a loss of the opportunity to turn RTSH into a dignified and politically uninfluenced institution.

The politically contested board will begin work with the election of the new director of RTSH, a position left vacant after the resignation of the previous director, Alfred Peza, whose election was also contested due to his long political career with the Socialist Party.

Peza faced criticism for mass dismissals of journalists and employees of this institution during the year he held office.

The public broadcaster is in theory a politically independent institution, but the board of directors is elected by Parliament through a formula where the two main parties select their preferred candidates. Reporter.al