EFJ Backs Spanish Journalists Protesting Against Government Attack on RTVE Impartiality

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today expressed its total rejection of a Spanish government executive law that changes the way the director general of national public broadcaster RTVE is appointed. The decree implies that a simple majority, and not the two-thirds majority previously required, will be sufficient for appointing the main manager of RTVE.  The controversial decree has to be confirmed by parliament, but Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is counting on the conservative majority of his party (Popular Party, PP) to impose his decision. 

"Impartiality has to be protected in all European public broadcasters and this decree of Rajoy goes against European standards", said Arne König, president of the EFJ: "We support the protest published by the journalists' news council of TVE that considers this change to put at risk the independence of the Spanish national public broadcaster". 

In a public statement, the Journalists TVE News Council describes as "very worrying" the Rajoy decree, which also implies the reduction of number of seats on the RTVE Board. Spanish media unions believe the goal is to overturn any union representation in the governing body of the Spanish public broadcaster.

After a recent cut of its budget of around 20 per cent, the controversial decree arrives at a time when RTVE enjoys a large audience for the quality of its programs and news services. 

"The PP is planning to discredit RTVE in order to asphyxiate it economically and to ring-shape its democratic regulations", said a statement of the section union of CCOO (affiliated to EFJ/ IFJ). Also the Federation of Journalists Unions (FeSP) and the Federation of Journalists Associations in Spain (FAPE), both affiliated to EFJ and IFJ, have denounced it as "a step back" and pointed towards the short term political motivations behind this attack to RTVE impartiality. 

"A public service must not become a tool for propaganda", said Stephen Pearse, General Secretary of EFJ, "and an effort to find agreement on this matter would always have been better than the imposition of a hasty decree without consensus. In a democratic country such as Spain, RTVE should be strengthening its impartiality and not taking steps back such as this".

The EFJ represents over 260,000 journalists in 30 countries
For more information contactthe EFJ at +32 2 235.2200