WRITTEN QUESTION E-1319/01 by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission. System of licensing radio stations in the Attica basin.
Date: 2001-05-03
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Greece, broadcasting, complaint to the Commission, trade licence

4.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 340 E/217

(2001/C 340 E/250)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1319/01

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: System of licensing radio stations in the Attica basin

(3 May 2001)

After many years of ambiguity in the law governing radio stations in Greece, the Greek Government
adopted a licensing system. In the Attica basin, it issued licences for 20 radio stations which, in its view, is
the maximum number that can operate on the available radio frequencies.

However, it did not issue licences to many stations with high audience ratings, a high turnover and a large
number of staff. Following a number of protests, therefore, and a technical recommendation which met
certain requirements laid down by the government itself, it raised the number of licences provisionally to
28. Again, however, several stations of recognised quality with high audience figures were not included.
Meanwhile, reports by professors at the Athens Institute of Technology maintain that the number of
frequencies can be increased to 35 without difficulty.

The Greek Government uses the National Broadcasting Council as a vehicle for issuing opinions based on
various government technical recommendations, a situation which even led a pro-government member of
the NBC to resign in protest against interference by the minister responsible.

1.
In the light of Article 6(1) and (2) of the Treaty on European Union concerning fundamental human
rights, and Article 11 of the Charter of Human Rights concerning freedom of the media, does the
Commission consider that the Greek Government(cid:146)s actions are consistent with European law?

2. Will the Commission address a recommendation to the Greek Government?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(29 June 2001)

The Commission recently received a complaint regarding the system of licensing of radio stations in the
Attica basin. The Commission is in the course of examining this complaint and has asked the Greek
authorities to provide it with additional information. Since the case presents a rather complex situation, it
is too early to say yet whether the actions taken by the Greek government are consistent or not with
European law. The Commission attaches great importance to the creation of a single radio broadcasting
market within the Community and will pay due attention to this case.

(2001/C 340 E/251)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1325/01

by Arie Oostlander (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(3 May 2001)

Subject: 15-month prison sentence handed down to Mr Sotiris Bletsas for distributing information material

financed by the Commission

In a resolution of 3 February 2001 the European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages (EBLUL) in Dublin
condemned the sentencing of Mr Sotiris Bletsas, a Greek national, by a court in Athens to 15 months(cid:146)
imprisonment. Mr Sotiris Bletsas was convicted of disseminating (cid:145)false information(cid:146) about a European
minority language in Greece. However, this allegedly false information consisted of a reference to the
existence of the Vlach language in information material produced by the European Bureau for Lesser Used
Languages concerning minority languages in Europe. This material
is financed by the Commission.
Moreover, the existence of Vlach is recognised in the Commission(cid:146)s Euromosaic report.