Prime Ministers decide on stricter control rules for public service broadcasting

As a first consequence of the scandal at Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) about the wasteful use of license fees, the prime ministers of the federal states have agreed on uniform control rules for public broadcasting in a draft for the fourth media amendment state treaty. "The quick action on this point shows that the federal states attach great importance to the topic," said Rhineland-Palatinate Prime Minister Malu Dreyer (SPD) on Thursday.

"With the regulations that are now available, we are creating uniform high standards in the areas of transparency, compliance and committee control for all public broadcasting in Germany," continued Dreyer, Chair of the Broadcasting Commission. The reform of public service broadcasting is progressing.

In a next step, the fourth media amendment state treaty is to be submitted to the state parliaments for preliminary information. It is then signed by the prime ministers and ratified by the state parliaments. According to the plans, it should come into force at the beginning of next year.

The third state treaty on media changes is currently being ratified in the state parliaments. This contains innovations in the task of the ÖRR and deals with changed media use. It is scheduled to come into force next July. In January, the Broadcasting Commission also agreed on several areas of reform.

The debate about reforms in public service broadcasting picked up speed after the scandal surrounding the former RBB director Patricia Schlesinger. Schlesinger initially resigned in August after a series of allegations and was then fired without notice. She is accused, among other things, of wasteful use of fee money.

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