the examination of the contested reform mission is postponed | EUROtoday

The public broadcasting merger mission led by the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, is falling delayed. Its examination within the National Assembly was postponed on Thursday, May 23, whereas your complete sector is on strike to oppose it.

MEPs have been on account of debate this lightning reform at first studying on Thursday and Friday. But given the dimensions of the agenda, the federal government took the choice, at noon, to postpone it. The textual content might not be examined till June. And this, whereas the timetable desired by the Minister of Culture was already very constrained, with a merger of public broadcasting deliberate from 1^er January 2026.

From the regional networks of France 3 and France Bleu to the Parisian headquarters, your complete sector known as to strike on Thursday and Friday. On Thursday, the Radio France antennas have been disrupted and the standard broadcasts have been changed by music. On the tv facet, the Franceinfo channel rebroadcast packages.

To make sure the retransmission of the talk Thursday night on France 2 between the Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, and the president of the National Rally (RN), Jordan Bardella, administration deliberate to make use of exterior service suppliers, based on the unions.

Joint holding firm

Wanting “gather strength”the Minister of Culture plans a transitional part with a typical holding firm for public broadcasting on 1^er January 2025, then the merger a 12 months later. Some 16,000 workers are affected.

In addition to France Télévisions and Radio France, the audiovisual juggernaut would additionally deliver collectively the INA (National Audiovisual Institute) and France Médias Monde (RFI, France 24). The integration of this final group, nevertheless, is debated even within the presidential camp. Within these 4 public firms, fears are acute for sources and jobs. A rally is deliberate close to the Ministry of Culture on Thursday at 1:30 p.m.

“It’s our survival that is at stake”affirmed the Radio France unions throughout a normal meeting on Wednesday, calling for sending “a radical message” by the strike. Concerns are notably vital at Maison Ronde at the concept that radio could possibly be swallowed up by TV.

In a discussion board at Worldgreater than 1,100 Radio France workers, together with presenters Léa Salamé, Nicolas Demorand, Guillaume Erner and Nagui, expressed their rejection of a mission “demagogic, ineffective and dangerous”.

“Without any real editorial objective”

“Why hire [le secteur] in a merger that promises to be long, complex, anxiety-provoking for employees and without any real editorial objective? »also ask the France Télévisions unions.

To staff, Rachida Dati assured Sunday: “I want to guarantee you not only sustainability but [aussi] your strength » in a universe of “exacerbated competition”between platforms and social networks. “The political moment has come”based on the minister, after an try at rapprochement by her predecessor Franck Riester stopped by Covid-19. “Obviously, we are not going to standardize either professions or activities”she additionally insisted on Wednesday earlier than the Senate.

The big firm, known as France Médias, would have a finances of 4 billion euros.

To speed up, the minister from Les Républicains (LR) relied on a invoice from Senator Laurent Lafon (Centrist Union) programming a holding firm, already adopted in June 2023 by the higher home. “We are not opposed to the merger” however “we can wonder about the calendar”had underlined Mr. Lafon earlier than the announcement of the postponement.

The destiny of France Médias Monde doesn’t look like determined. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stéphane Séjourné, affirmed that the federal government was in the end in favor of its exclusion from the only firm. But discussions could possibly be tight with the suitable, which is conversely hooked up to its inclusion.

RN elected officers – in favor of pure and easy privatization of public broadcasting – help the merger mission. Regarding privatization, the president of LR, Eric Ciotti, didn’t “no taboo” neither.

For its half, the left holding torpedo like fusion. Insoumise France sees on this mission “the culmination of denigration and weakening” of the general public service operated by President Emmanuel Macron. “It’s not the return of ORTF that will allow us to compete with Netflix”add the environmentalists.