The Czech government has approved an amendment to abolish public service television and radio license fees, replacing them with direct state funding. Under this proposal, public broadcasters face significant budget cuts. Crucially, the bill lacks safeguards against political interference in future funding decisions Furthermore, the objections and comments from Czech Television (ČT), Czech Radio (ČRo), and the political opposition were ignored when drafting the bill. Pushing such a critical measure forward without transparent, open debate undermines democratic principles. Czech authorities must ensure that public service media funding remains adequate, stable, independent, and fully aligned with the European Media Freedom Act. Additionally, Minister of Culture Oto Klempíř announced plans to submit an amendment to the Audiovisual Act by the end of November. This proposal would trigger new elections for all 20 expert council members, completely overhaul the 15-member board of the State Audiovisual Fund (SFA), and slash the audiovisual budget. The proposed drastic financial reductions for ČT, ČRo, and the SFA would destabilize an otherwise well-functioning system and severely damage the Czech audiovisual industry. Such cuts in the state budget are in fact illegal, as state subsidies earmarked for supporting the audiovisual sector constitute a mandatory state expenditure. Thus, the radical intervention suggested by Oto Klempíř would contravene the law. Thousands of jobs across multiple sectors would be at risk, film and post-production studios would be threatened with bankruptcy, and the country’s international standing in this field would be greatly damaged The Czech Association of Film Editors strongly opposes these initiatives by the governing coalition, which threaten the independence and viability of Czech public service media and the State Audiovisual Fund.
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