Ukraine will “take into account” the comments of the European Commission regarding the financing of the telethon, but will not stop it until the end of the war

The European Commission doubts the need for state funding of the "Edyni Novyny" telethon. Brussels considers it necessary to renew the work of various broadcasters. The government of Ukraine replied that the state will stop broadcasting the telethon once the war ends.

This was reported by the Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications Mykola Tochytskyi.

In the communiqué of the European Commission dated October 30, the partners criticized that "Edyni Novyny" was financed with state funds in 2023. There they advised to reassess whether this platform is effective for the free exchange of opinions. Block expressed the opinion that Kyiv should return to pluralism in public space.

"The main task of the media channel of the parliament should be to disseminate information about the affairs of the parliament, including the work of opposition representatives," the document said.

Mykola Tochytskyi emphasized that the Ukrainian government "took into account" the recommendations of the European Commission, and emphasized that support for the marathon will be stopped after the end of martial law, when the state, according to the official, will focus on media development.

The press service of the Ministry of Culture added that the European Commission positively assessed the improvement of the working conditions of correspondents near the contact line. Brussels is also said to have approved Ukraineʼs plan to restore a transparent media space after the war.

The “Yedyni Novyny” telethon will be broadcast on several national channels of Ukraine from February 26, 2022, after the large-scale invasion of the Russian Federation. He is criticized, in particular, for the fact that he gave hope for a quick victory. The marathon is called one of the forms of censorship. Channel 5, Pryamiy and Espresso TV, which are associated with Petro Poroshenko, were not invited to attend.

• In 2024, the state budget allocated 1.7 billion hryvnias for the telethon. In the draft law on the state budget for 2025, expenses for "Edyni Novyny" were foreseen in the amount of 1.5 billion hryvnias. Separately, they want to direct about 78.2 million hryvnias to finance the Rada TV channel.
• As of the beginning of February 2024, 36% of Ukrainians trust the “Yedyni Novyny” telethon, while 47% do not.
• In April 2024, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine granted telethon channels the status of critical importance for the economy. This status, in particular, gives the right to reservation from mobilization of a certain percentage of employees.

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Author: Anastasiia Mohylevets