The government submitted an amendment transferring all powers relating to the issuing of broadcasting licenses and the relevant tender to the Greek National Council for Radio and Television (NCRTV) to Greek Parliament on Monday. As part of an effort to de-escalate tension caused over the TV license controversy, State Minister Nikos Pappas, who authored the TV license law is withdrawing article 2A of the bill, which transferred powers from the NCRTV to his ministry.
Pappas decision to suspend the powers originally granted to the minister, allowing NCRTV to decide on the number of the TV licenses which will be auctioned and on the tender that will be held, shows that the government has accepted conditions set by the main opposition conservative New Democracy party so that the parties can reach a form of consent.
The amendment, which complies with a ruling by the Council of State, will be voted by the Greek Parliament next Thursday during a plenum in a draft bill relating to matters of the Shipping ministry.
New Democracy Party
The New Democracy Party had also submitted its own counter-law for TV license, that Pappas said was essentially identical to his own apart from abolishing the clause referring to the minimum number of employees — set at 400 by the ruling SYRIZA party — required for a TV channel to be set up.
ND had also laid out three conditions that needed to be adhered to in order for it to cooperate on the formation of the NCRTV:
(1) the transfer of powers on TV licensing from the ministry to the NCRTV.
(2) the withdrawal of the proposal of Vyron Polydoras as chief of the NCRTV;
(3) the government’s clarification regarding the number of national TV licenses to be granted.
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