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Budget |
€ 1 208 918 until 31 December 2010; additional € 1 000 000 for an
extension from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2012
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Funding |
European Commission (90%)
Council of Europe (10%)
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Implementation |
Media Section (Directorate of Co-operation, Directorate General of Human
Rights and Legal Affairs)
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Duration |
1 September 2008 – 31 December 2010
Extended until 31 December 2012 with additional funding
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Objective |
To raise standards of journalism with a view to ensuring that the
Ukrainian public is better informed about political and social processes
and to provide continuing support for enhancing the legislative
framework for media.
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Activities and results in 2010 |
The project has three components:
Legislative framework for the media;
Advocacy for a code of ethics and improved professional standards in
journalism;
Improved co-operation between media, civil society and state
administration officials.
Among the results achieved in 2010 are the following:
The analyses and comments provided by the Council of Europe experts at
the drafting and pre-adoption stage of the Law on Access to Public
Information were instrumental for bringing this law closer to European
standards. The law was adopted by the Ukrainian Parliament on 13 January
2011;
Advice provided by Council of Europe consultants during dedicated
seminars assisted Ukrainian experts in their work on the alignment of
media legislation, such as the advertising and broadcasting laws, with
the European Convention on Transfrontier Television;
As regards concentration and transparency of media ownership, the
authorities received practical advice on how to improve the legislation
and practice. However, political will for implementation of these
recommendations was lacking until the end of 2010;
A high-level conference “Safeguards for Media Pluralism in Ukraine” with
the participation of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Ms
Dunja Mijatovic, adopted recommendations for continuing the reforms in
the media field in cooperation with the Council of Europe and other
organisations;
Expert analysis of the Law on Telecommunications in the light of the EU
regulatory framework and discussions with local stakeholders helped to
advance the process of reforming the law;
As concerns the transition to digital broadcasting, advice was provided
on the technical, regulatory, economic and public awareness aspects as
well as on strategy development and improving the interagency
coordination during the switchover.
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Assessment and follow up |
The project achieved significant results, particularly in areas where
there was political commitment on behalf of the authorities. The
adoption of the Law on Access to Public Information is a notable example.
In other areas, where such commitment was lacking, little progress was
made – e.g., as concerns the establishment of a genuine public-service
broadcaster.
The project was scheduled to end on 1 May 2010. A no cost extension was
then granted until the end of 2010. Before the scheduled end of the
project, the Delegation of the European Union in Kyiv and the Council of
Europe agreed to extend it for two more years with additional funding of
1 000 000 Euro. This will allow to build on the results achieved so far
and to continue reforming the Ukrainian media landscape in line with
European standards. |
Ukraine
High-level conference