"Under financial pressure", RTSH requests fee increase and additional budget from Parliament

The Head of the RTSH Steering Council, Fatjon Hoxhalli, and the General Director Eni Vasili reported on Friday to the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights and Public Information Media on the efforts of this institution for financial stabilization, editorial independence and the digitalization of the archive, based on the recommendations made by the Parliament for 2025.

"RTSH continues to be under financial pressure," said Hoxhalli while reporting on budget management figures for the past year, speaking of a deficit between revenues and expenditures.

According to the report, revenues were realized at 86.7% of the annual plan with a deficit of 366 million lek compared to the budget target, while the television faces liabilities to third parties inherited from previous mismanagement, compensation for the wave of layoffs during the time the television was run by former socialist MP Alfred Peza.

"The liabilities that RTSH has towards third parties amounted to 374 million lek. The analysis of the debt structure shows a high percentage in the category of sports rights with considerable costs, which were planned to be covered by unsustainable projections of tariff increases," Hoxhalli told MPs.

The financing of the single public operator continues to be based on the fee on receiving equipment, which provided 56.5% of total revenue during 2025, for which RTSH leaders requested an increase.

"The fee is the lowest in all of Europe, less than 1 euro, but it is a fee that enables the existence of the institution," said General Director Eni Vasili.

Like Hoxhalli, Vasili said that RTSH was facing a major financial challenge and considered managing and reducing the liquidity pressure weighing on the institution as a top priority.

According to her, the gradual liquidation of arrears was taking place and the renegotiation of payment deadlines for certain obligations was achieved, avoiding financial penalties.

She spoke about the need for a total restructuring at the base and an analysis report conducted by the EBU (European Union of Public Broadcasters), but she sought Parliament's support to increase the budget for the implementation of this reform.

Vasili focused particularly on the emergency funding for the digitization of the RTSH archive, considering this as a public obligation and a national project of strategic importance.

Regarding editorial independence, Vasili said there was still work to be done, but emphasized that "we have no political pressure that we need to prove."

The chairwoman of the committee, Jorida Tabaku, said she agreed with many of the concerns raised by the television executives and asked Vasili to bring to the Assembly a concrete proposal for additional budget for the digitalization of the archive.

On the other hand, she pointed out the need for editorial independence on the part of the public broadcaster as an articulated request from European Union reports.

Meanwhile, Tabaku announced that the Assembly was discussing the need for legal changes for the institutional independence of RTSH, seeking a new formula for selecting members of the Board of Directors.

The Vice-Chair of the Committee, Iris Luarasi, in the role of rapporteur of the report, said that despite the difficulties expressed by the leaders, the Assembly in analyzing and implementing the recommendations made had concluded that none of them had been fully implemented.

On behalf of the commission, she presented a series of recommendations for 2026, emphasizing the need for a strategic plan that includes clear and measurable objectives, accompanied by six-monthly reporting mechanisms, so that the initiated reforms do not remain merely declarative.

She also asked the leaders to bring to the Assembly a financial plan dedicated to completing the digitization of the archive so that the Assembly can influence the executive for a new allocation of funds dedicated to this process. Reporter.al