Committee of the Council of States weakens motion for press promotion
According to the Council of States’ Committee on Political Institutions (SPK), the Federal Council should continue to address the issue of press subsidies. However, the SPK does not endorse the National Council’s call for new models of media funding.
The Council of States committee removed the third point from a motion supported by the upper chamber in the spring session. It took this decision by 10 votes to 0 with one abstention because it first wanted to wait for an overall view from the Federal Council, as the parliamentary services announced on Tuesday.
The National Council adopted the motion by 88 votes to 77. The SVP and the FDP voted against it. The motion demands, among other things, that the Federal Council draft a legal basis for direct and indirect media funding within two years. The Federal Council had opposed the motion.
The Council of States Committee approved the other two points of the motion submitted by the SPK of the National Council. By 9 votes to 2, it backed the call for an overall view of the media landscape. Both the national and regional perspectives should be taken into account.
The requested funding concept to strengthen the importance of the media in terms of state and democratic policy was also approved by a narrow majority of the Council of States' SPK. It supported this point by 5 votes to 4. The minority said no because it rejects state media funding in principle. (SDA)
