The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has expressed support for the reform and institutional transformation of Albanian Radio and Television (RTSH).

The EBU stressed the need for institutional stability, sustainable funding and a structure that reflects changes in the media sector.

Radka Betcheva, EBU Head of Member Relations for Central and Eastern Europe, spoke during a session of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights and Public Information Media.

Betcheva highlighted the importance of a stable and properly funded public broadcaster. She also said RTSH’s current structure creates challenges. The broadcaster has separate managers for television and radio.

According to Betcheva, the television tax remains an important funding mechanism. It creates a direct link between the public and the public broadcaster.

She stressed that any change to the funding model should reflect RTSH’s actual needs and the services it must provide.

Committee Chair Jorida Tabaku also highlighted funding challenges.

“We need faster restructuring, but this comes with a higher financial cost,” Tabaku said. She added that RTSH has not received enough room in the budget to meet all of its requests in recent years.

Meanwhile, the EBU representative called for institutional support to digitize the RTSH archive.

She warned that some archival materials are deteriorating over time. Losing them, she said, would represent a loss not only for RTSH but also for Albania.

Betcheva described the RTSH archive as part of the country’s national heritage. The materials document important developments in Albania’s history, culture and identity.

“Take an action to support the digitization of the archive,” she urged Albanian institutions.

She also cited the Czech Republic’s experience in preserving and digitizing audiovisual archives. At the same time, Betcheva expressed support for the transformation of RTSH and its director, Eni Vasili.

She linked the broadcaster’s future development to institutional stability, sustainable funding and modernization.

/a.c/