RTVE runs “the risk of weakening its political independence”

The post was made public just 24 hours later the PSOE imposed the holding of an extraordinary plenary session in the Spanish Cortes, despite the fact that the Congress and the Senate suspended all political and institutional activities as a sign of “respect” for the victims of the most devastating storm in a century in Spain, which caused at least 150 dead and 250 people missing.

As the text points out, the new legislation reduces parliamentary majorities necessary for the election of members of the Council, which represents a “certain risk for the maintenance of the political independence” of the public company’s media. Furthermore, the decree grants discretionary powers for the hiring of producers and unbalances the representation of the two Chambers which make up the Spanish Parliament.

Every year, the Council of Europe publishes a report on press freedom in Europe. The one from 2024, released in March, is called It’s time to change coursehighlights the need to launch campaigns as Journalists matter (journalists count) in the defense of democracy.

And above all, it celebrates “the political agreement reached in December between the European institutions on the Media Freedom Act“(European press freedom law) as “an important step in the fight against attacks on press freedom.”

Precisely, This regulation is what the new Spanish government decree addresseswhich imposed a distribution of seats on the board of directors of RTVE between its partners, thus marginalizing the main political formation of the opposition, the Popular Party. The PP deputies, as well as those of Vox and Compromís, left the room and did not participate in the vote.

“Serious threat”

The Council of Europe alert qualifies the risk in the “level 2”, the highest within the limits of those defined in its scope, amounting to a “serious threat to press freedom”. According to this categorization, the risk attributed to decree of the government of Pedro Sánchez “has a systemic impact on the press freedom situation” in Spain.

This level includes, among other things, physical attacks causing bodily harm to journalists, as well as acts of intimidation and harassment. The use by public figures of threatening or seriously abusive language against members of the journalistic profession or the confiscation or unjustified damage to the property or equipment of journalists.

They are also included in “serious threats” “laws and regulations that unduly restrict media freedom communication or access to information”. Likewise, actions which “jeopardize the confidentiality of sources or the independence of public sector broadcasters“.

Council of Europe also warns of ‘high-level risks’abusive or disproportionate use of legislationinappropriate use of powers of government or other type direct media content or to penalize the media or journalists, and the interference in media freedom of communication through ownership, control and regulation”.

Journalists associations

According to the Council of Europe, “journalists play a vital role in helping to monitor governments.” AND Any attack on journalism “is an attack on democracy”because when “impunity prevails, silence prevails.”

The alert highlights that many associations journalists, the unions and the same informative tips of Radio Nacional de España and Televisión Española expressed their rejection of the new legislation.

Among them, he underlines with particular emphasis the declarations of the representative bodies of TVE and RNE journalists who expressed their rejection of the decree. The RTVE editorial staff expressed “the need to establish qualified majorities to guarantee plurality and maximum representation on the governing body of public radio and television.

They also called on Spanish political forces to “maintain the merit competition as a mechanism to guarantee independence in the appointment of directors”. These two aspects have been ignored in the new legislation.

Another independent entity that has raised its voice against the government decree indicated by the Council of Europe is the Spanish Federation of Journalists’ Unions (FESP), which criticized the new “lost opportunity to guarantee the independence of RTVE”. Also the Federation of Journalists Associations of Spain (FAPE) demanded “a public call for tenders from RTVE” and regretted “the lack of agreement between the political groups”.

Finally, the union CCOO It is revised by the Council of Europe when it describes the legislative initiative as a “decree”. According to the workers’ center, the government “the independence of the public establishment is still not guaranteed”.

Monitoring

Finally, the alert warns that it will maintain its monitoring system, with follow-up actions planned. Among them, he asks “to review the decree to guarantee the political independence of the members of the council” of RTVE.

The Council of Europe is a continental body, headquartered in Strasbourg (France), made up of 46 member states and founded on May 5, 1949.

It is the oldest of the European integration organizations and the only one that integrates all European states. They are only expressly excluded Belarus,​ Kazakhstan,​ the Vatican City​ And Russia for the maintenance of political regimes “incompatible with the principles” of democracy, defense of human rights and the rule of law.