As of next year, some of the private broadcasters will be exempt from the duty to use Slovak language in their programmes, the amendment to the Act on Broadcasting and Re-transmission implies. The amendment was signed into law by President Ivan Gašparovič.
This exemption concerns broadcasters who have a license to broadcast in one or more official languages of the European Union, the TASR newswire wrote on November 12. Thus, the programmes would not have to be obligatorily translated into Slovak, as the current law requires.
The Culture Ministry has thus reacted to the comments of the European Commission which points out that the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union guarantees the freedom of unlimited rendering services for citizens of member states who settle on the territory of another EU country.
Thus, Slovakia is trying to avoid potential judicial action form the EC for having violated the EU law, the TASR newswire wrote November 12. However, the Council for Broadcasting and Re-transmission will be able to refuse an application for such a license if it concerned regional or local broadcasting for a territory where a sufficient offer of other programmes in Slovak is guaranteed. “Thus, the right of Slovak citizens to access to information on events in their region or town in Slovak language will be secured,” the Culture Ministry stated. In another change, the sessions of the Council for Broadcasting and Re-transmission on allocating such licenses will not be made public, nor will the minutes from its sessions. Advertising in another language than Slovak will also be possible, but a translation either through subtitles or by broadcasting the Slovak version will be obligatory.
(Source: TASR)
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
