Confederation provides bridging aid for Swissinfo

The Federal Council is granting the Swissinfo/SRI information service bridging funding of CHF 5 million for 2006. From 2007, the financing of this SRG service will be regulated in the new Radio and Television Act (RTVA). According to the DETEC communiqué, the bridging contribution proved necessary in order to secure the financing of Swissinfo until the new RTVA comes into force in 2007. According to the new law, SRG's entire international offering will in future be defined within the framework of a performance mandate. The Confederation will have to bear at least half of the corresponding costs. The amount awarded to Swissinfo corresponds to the remainder of the cumulative surplus of radio and television reception fees collected by the former Telecom PTT.