Greek court endorses public service media
June 21, 2013
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has welcomed confirmation by Greece’s highest court – the Council of State – that public service broadcasting in Greece must be put back on air.
EBU President, Jean-Paul Philippot said: “We are impressed by reports that the Government now intends to put a temporary public service broadcasting system in place within a matter of days – hiring a substantial number of temporary staff. This will be a huge task. Therefore we appreciate that the Court will oversee the Government’s compliance with the order.”
Philippot continued: “Even an interim body needs governance that ensures independence – management selected according to agreed procedures, and staff appointed on merit and not by patronage. And even an interim channel needs to meet public expectation by respecting the principles of pluralistic information, and a public sphere for debate, in line with the Core Public Service Media Values. Now is the time to lay the foundations of the future remit, funding and governance of a sustainable public service broadcaster with integrity.”