EBU Director General Ingrid Deltenre has thanked members of the European Parliament for opposing the "appalling" closure of the Greek public broadcaster ERT last week, saying public broadcasters are vital to democracy. Read the Speech

Click here to watch the parliamentary session on the European Parliament’s video catch-up service. The debate on media freedom in the Western Balkans and Turkey starts at 17:20:20.  Ms. Deltenre’s speech starts at 17:35:35.

Addressing a session of the Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights on 19 June devoted to media freedom in the Western Balkans and Turkey, she noted that the EBU’s commitment to key human rights is clear from the very first Article of its Statutes. This defines the Union's purposes, among others, as:

• the safeguarding and improving of freedom of expression and information, as essential foundations of a democratic society, and
• enhancing the freedom and pluralism of the media, the free flow of information and ideas, and the free formation of opinions.

Ms Deltenre said the European Union has recognized the vital role played by true public service media in healthy European societies, the Director General said, which was why Commissioner Stefan Füle signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the EBU last year to strengthen the public broadcasters in the countries preparing to join the Union. The EBU's Partnership Programme is now implementing an EU-funded action plan entitled “Enabling the Democratic Role of Public Service Media in the EU Accession countries”, and is in discussion on the possibility of developing similar MoUs and action plans for EU neighbourhood countries to the east and south.

On the closure of ERT last week, since rejected by an Athens court, Ms Deltenre said nobody would deny that Greece has financial problems, and nobody would claim that ERT has been a perfect public broadcaster over recent years. But the decision of two ministers to close down ERT would not save the government any money. ERT was funded from the licence fee by the citizens it serves. The channel was not bankrupt and this is why these measures taken were not proportional and illustrated "a fundamental lack of understanding of freedom of expression".

The EBU Director General urged Members of European Parliament to continue their strong support for the concept of public service media, and to denounce any attempt to use the economic crisis as a pretext to destroy it.

Ms Deltenre outlined the six core values of public service media approved by all EBU Members last year: universality, independence, excellence, diversity, accountability and innovation. And she explained how the Union's Partnership Programme promotes these values constantly in the Western Balkans and further afield.

"In the post-conflict societies of the Accession and Neighbourhood countries, free and independent media, and in particular public service media, are essential to guaranteeing genuine democracy," she said. They are:

• a source of impartial and independent information, not only for free and fair elections, but also on the everyday life of citizens.
• a forum for pluralistic public discussion – a “national conversation” – which promotes  democratic participation.
• a platform for all groups in society, contributing to cultural diversity and understanding.

Earlier in the day, Ms Deltenre also took part in a workshop organized by the European Journalism Centre in Brussels on freedom of expression and the media in the Western Balkans and Turkey.