The European Commission (EC) warned that the current funding model for Estonia’s public broadcaster, Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR), may violate the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), ERR reports. Giuseppe Abbamonte, deputy director-general of the EC’s Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content, and Technology in charge of media policy, stated that Estonia’s protection of the independence of public service media was inadequate. Given that the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, sets ERR’s annual budget, the broadcaster does not seem independent of governmental influence, Abbamonte noted. He asked Estonia’s Minister of Culture, Heidy Purga, for more information on the country’s compliance with EMFA and on planned amendments to legislation regulating public service media. Meanwhile, Andres Jõesaar, media adviser at the Ministry of Culture, assured that a planned four-year funding agreement with ERR would ensure compliance with EMFA. However, ERR CEO Erik Roose urged to set the company’s budget as a percentage of Estonia’s state budget or GDP instead.
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