VÖZ takes action against the ORF law with an EU complaint

2023-06-22 14:58:00

The publishers have informed the EU competition commission to lodge a complaint against the planned ORF amendment to the law. It is to be made pending before the amendment is passed, which is planned for the beginning of July in the National Council, several media reported on Thursday.

The future ORF law provides for a household fee instead of the current device-linked GIS fee. The ORF comes – at least in the first few years – to 710 million euros from the ORF contribution. A clear competitive advantage that is taking on threatening proportions for private media, according to the criticism of the VÖZ. The publishers also object to the role played by ORF.at. The “blue page” is too newspaper-like, if not a newspaper. According to the publishers’ association, the reporting there leads to a reduced willingness to pay for paid offers in the daily newspapers. The draft law provides that ORF.at should have 70 percent moving images and 30 percent text in the future, with the number of text contributions per week being limited to 350. But that doesn’t go far enough for publishers.

All in all, the VÖZ sees a notifiable change in an aid that the EU Commission should reassess. The duration and outcome of the proceedings are open. Under certain circumstances, this could lead to a delay. The new ORF law is scheduled to come into force at the beginning of 2024.

In the media ministry of Susanne Raab (ÖVP), the VÖZ announcement was calmly received: “We are very relaxed about the complaint. The constitutional service of the Federal Chancellery is in close contact with the EU Commission, which is also informed about all steps. The From the point of view of the constitutional service, the new financing of ORF is in any case compatible with EU state aid law for several reasons,” said a spokesman for Raabs.