Slovenia proposes media law overhaul, changes to public broadcaster's governance

Slovenia's Ministry of Culture has initiated a significant overhaul of its media landscape with proposed amendments to the media law and the law governing the public broadcaster, RTVS. The draft legislation, available on e-demokracija, introduces changes to media financing and aims to reinstate a director and program council system for RTVS.

A key aspect of the proposed media law is the reform of the financial support system for media outlets. The focus will be on funding the creation of programming in the public interest, particularly cultural and artistic content. However, the draft proposes removing the legally mandated minimum funding for such purposes. It also suggests eliminating funding for NGOs in the media sector and for the development of new programming formats and tools, redirecting funds towards direct media activities and content creation.

The legislation would still allow for financing the digital transition of print and digital media, but this would become a possibility rather than a legal obligation, dependent on market needs and state finances. Media outlets linked in programming networks would be excluded from financial support, as the aim is to foster media pluralism, editorial independence, and independent content production. Oversight of media market concentrations would shift to the national media regulator, the Agency for Communication Networks and Services (AKOS).

Regarding RTVS, the proposed amendment seeks to revamp its governance and oversight structure. The current RTVS council would be transformed back into a program council, and the existing financial committee would be replaced by a supervisory board. The four-member management board would be replaced by a single director general, aiming for clearer accountability. The appointment process for program council members would exclude state bodies, with the supervisory board's composition based on professional expertise in media, law, public finance, business, accounting, and corporate governance.