Skopje, 5 January 2023 – With reference to the decision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to spend Euro 100,000 on campaigns aimed at promoting the OSCE chairpersonship, the Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services wishes to point out that the use of budget funds for advertising in the media constitutes violation of Article 102 of the Law on Audio and Audiovisual Media Services.
Citizens do not only have the right to, but they should be, informed about such and similar events of major importance for the state, however, this should be done by other means and not by spending budget funds. Using the taxpayers’ money to advertise the government via the commercial broadcasters may cause infringement on independence and on the editorial autonomy, and may at the same time generate clientelistic attitude of the media towards the government.