United News telethon.Photo: ichnya.crl.net.ua
The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine has stated that the government has taken into account the recommendations of the European Commission regarding the United News telethon and is ready to stop supporting it after the end of martial law. This was reported by TimeUkraineIsrael with reference to Eurointegration, as well as an official statement by the press service of the Ministry of Culture.
According to Mykola Tochytskyi, Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications, the Ukrainian government plans to focus on the long-term development of media infrastructure, in particular to preserve pluralism and diversity in the country’s information space. “The European Commission’s recommendations regarding the United News telethon have been taken into account. The state will stop supporting the marathon after the end of martial law, focusing on the development of a stable media infrastructure,” Tochytskyi said.
European Commission: Ukraine should support media pluralism
In a recent report, the European Commission publicly criticised the telethon for the first time, calling on Ukraine to restore a pluralistic media environment. One of the recommendations in the report is to focus on media development that will facilitate independent coverage of events.
In addition, it was noted that the Rada TV channel, which is supposed to cover the work of the parliament, including the activities of opposition representatives, does not meet its objectives. The European Commission noted the insufficient representation of the parliamentary opposition on this TV channel and also stressed that broadcasts of the Verkhovna Rada’s sessions, which were interrupted in 2022, have not yet resumed.
EU satisfied with parliament’s work, but sees problems with opposition
Despite the EU’s general satisfaction with the work of the Verkhovna Rada, the report emphasises that the presence of opposition views in the Ukrainian media space is limited. The recommendations state that it is important to ensure a full-fledged presence of opposition forces, which would help strengthen democratic values in Ukraine.
At the same time, the European Commission noted Ukraine’s fulfilment of previous EU requirements, in particular on the protection of the rights of national minorities, such as Hungarians.
