Georgian Dream to Cancel the Advisory Board in Adjara TV

Georgian Dream presented a draft of amendments to the Law “On Broadcasting” at the end of May, which passed in the first reading soon after, although the initial version did not imply the abolition of the Advisory Board and was about increasing the number of members of the Public Broadcaster's Board of Trustees from 9 to 11, as well as the right to nominate two candidates for membership of the Board of Trustees of the regulatory body - the National Communications Commission.

Before the second vote, Georgian Dream updated the bill. In particular, the National Communications Commission will no longer present candidates for membership in the Board of Trustees of the Public Broadcaster. Instead, the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara will have the right to nominate 3 candidates instead of 1. The Advisory Board of Adjara Television and Radio will be abolished, and the Board of Directors will determine the programming priorities of both the Public Broadcaster and Adjara Television and Radio. The Board of Trustees will appoint the Director of Adjara Television and Radio for a term of three years, will give him approval to enter into such a deal, the value of which exceeds 1% of the broadcaster's budget, and will also determine the director's salary. In addition, the Board of Trustees will confirm the budget of Adjara Television and Radio, as well as changes in the budget, and approve the report on the implementation of the budget.

“In essence, this is a new law, because changes have been made at a core level. Its adoption will be a violation of the Parliament's regulations and an illegal decision,” said independent MP Tamar Kordzaia at the plenary session of the Parliament.

Opposition MPs think that if the changes are adopted, the existing independence of Adjara TV and Radio will come under threat.

“There were so many changes in the bill that we couldn't even wrap our heads around it. You are canceling the already-nominal independence of Adjara TV and putting it under the direct control of the central government. It will be reduced to a department of the Public Broadcaster, which is under your control. This is an entirely new law and its consideration should stop,” said Roman Gotsiridze, a member of the political group “Eurooptimists.”

According to one of the authors of the bill, Rati Ionatamishvili, only two clauses have been changed from the original edition: first, the Communications Commission is no longer among the entities that can nominate candidates for membership of the Public Broadcaster's Board of Trustees, and second, the Advisory Board of Adjara Television and Radio and the Board of Trustees of the Public Broadcaster are “merging.”

“In the past, it was actually recognized that the advisory board was not the correct form institutionally. Current and former members of the Board of Trustees of the Public Broadcaster have repeatedly confirmed that the Advisory Board had no share in the advocacy and lobbying of Adjara Broadcasting, while one Adjara representative from the Board of Trustees was always active in this regard. Now, as a result of this change, the Board of Trustees will have three representatives instead of one, that is, the parliamentary majority will have 3, the opposition will have 3, and the Supreme Council of Adjara will have 3,” said Ionatamishvili.

According to him, the changes create additional guarantees in terms of strengthening the independence of Adjara Television and Radio.

At the second reading, 79 MPs supported the bill. Tamar Kordzaia, Khatia Dekanoidze, Roman Gotsiridze, and Armaz Akhvlediani voted against it. The third and final hearing remains for the adoption of amendments to the Law “On Broadcasting.’’