The Ministry of Culture gives another 1.2 million to RTK, which violated the agreement

After 750 thousand euros from the first agreement that RTK did not adhere to and read as it wished, starting from this year and until 2028, it will receive another 1.2 million euros, through a cooperation agreement where some points from the agreement that was not respected are "repeated". RTK, just like in 2023, has now also taken over professional recordings with specific direction for premieres, exhibition openings and other activities of cultural and cultural heritage institutions at the central and local level. But RTK does not deal with the local level, but in most cases not even with the central one

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has once again decided to open its wallet for the Radio and Television of Kosovo. The highest cultural institution in the country has agreed with RTK to give it 1.2 million euros for three years, 400 thousand euros per year, starting this year. This time the figure has increased, as in the period 2023–2025, according to the agreement, it has given it 750 thousand euros. The new agreement was made by completely ignoring the fact that RTK has not adhered to several key points of the previous Agreement: it has not created a channel for culture, it has not formed an orchestra and has not even covered most of the cultural events. 

The new cooperation document includes old obligations that RTK has not fulfilled, and there are also new ones.

On May 20, the acting Minister of Culture, Saranda Bogujevci, and Zana Spahiu, in her capacity as acting director of RTK, signed a cooperation agreement for three years, starting this year. The agreement is similar to the one in 2023, when it was signed on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports by the then Minister, Hajrulla Çeku.
The new agreement increases the amount of support from the Ministry of Culture, as well as RTK's responsibilities.

The articles where RTK is obliged to professionally record, produce and post-produce premiere events, performances, concerts, opera performances, exhibition openings and other forms of MKT institutions are the same. As are the articles that oblige RTK to follow and promote cultural and cultural heritage activities organized by MKT and cultural and cultural heritage institutions under the Ministry. RTK, just like in 2023, has now also taken over professional recordings with specific direction for premieres, exhibition openings and other activities of cultural and cultural heritage institutions at the central and local levels.

But RTK does not deal with the local level, but in most cases not with the central level either. KOHA has verified whether RTK at least covers the premieres of the National Theater of Kosovo, but this does not happen. KOHA has also requested information from the “Multimedia” center whether RTK covers the premieres of this organization, which is the main theater production in the country in terms of the independent cultural scene. The “Multimedia” center has confirmed that this has never happened, at least not in recent years, when it is obliged to do so based on the agreement with the Ministry of Culture. “Multimedia” is among the organizations financed by the Ministry of Culture. 

Regarding local activities, KOHA has requested information from the Gjilan Theater. RTK has not been seen at this institution either. In recent years, RTK has been filming concerts by the Kosovo Philharmonic, sometimes covering exhibitions at the National Gallery of Kosovo, and sometimes premieres of the Kosovo National Ballet.

In the 2023 agreement, RTK had taken over the activities for the development of the RTK Song Festival, on an annual basis. This is the only point that RTK has adhered to in the agreement of the past three years. And starting this year, it will expand in this aspect.

"Undertake all actions for the development of 'Kosovo Chords' and two festivals (RTK Song Festival and RTK Children's Festival), on an annual basis," RTK's responsibilities are written in the new document. Three years ago, RTK had taken on the actions for the establishment and development of RTK's musical orchestral capacities at a legal and practical level. It has not done this. The new agreement confirms it.

"Undertake all actions to establish and develop the musical capacities (band and orchestra) of RTK at a legal and practical level," reads the new agreement that KOHA obtained from the Ministry of Culture through a request for access to public documents.

In the previous agreement three years ago, the public broadcaster had undertaken to establish a television channel for arts and culture, where it would also broadcast all television materials produced as agreed in the agreement. RTK has not done this either. The same point appears again in the new agreement.

"It undertakes the transformation of the RTK4 television channel for art and culture, where it will broadcast all television materials produced in accordance with this memorandum," the document states. 
Both documents, the one from three years ago and the new one, have one more point, among others: a report on the implementation of the agreed points on an annual basis.

Ten days ago, KOHA asked RTK if there is a report showing whether the 2023 agreement has been respected, why they still agreed that the RTK4 channel will be a culture channel when they agreed on this three years ago, why the transformation has not been done so far, and why the development of orchestral musical capacities has not been done since the beginning of time, but they had to agree on this again. RTK was also asked why it does not cover most of the cultural events held by MKT institutions, despite the agreement, and why it was deemed necessary that, in addition to the Song Festival, the "Kosovo Chords" also return, and when this will happen. Similar questions were also forwarded to the Ministry of Culture ten days ago. Neither institution has responded by the time of publication of this article. 

Playwright Jeton Neziraj, who heads the Multimedia Center, described the agreement between the two institutions as unproductive in 2023. And three years later, he said that's how it turned out.

"They don't come to our shows, but to any theater show. This has been going on for years. This has continued for at least the last 10 years. Other media are not doing well either, but RTK carries the flag of irresponsibility towards cultural events," he said. In this case, he added that he does not like the fact that RTK "robs" the culture budget, since they had to cover culture without MKT funds and, even when they receive funds, they do not take any responsibility for cultural events. The Ministry of Culture, based on the agreement, is obliged to make the transfer from the subsidy category.

"The Ministry of Culture supports and falls into the trap of RTK, as it needs promotion. But in relation to cultural events, RTK does nothing. It is simply a failed cooperative in this regard," said Neziraj.

KOHA in 2023, when the first agreement was signed, had reported that the Ministry of Culture had allocated 750 thousand euros per TV channel for its own promotion. And RTK has covered the protocol side of the MCYS to some extent by promoting ministerial staff, but not in this regard as much as it has received funds. At that time, RTK, together with the Ministry of Culture, had reacted.

"Covering cultural events is a legal obligation of RTK and the decision to transform RTK4 into a channel primarily for arts (for which it was established years ago) was not a request from the Ministry, but a determination of the Board and current management of RTK," RTK's response read. But even after three years, the channel has not been transformed.

"In this case, the amount mentioned is exclusively for the RTK orchestra, the Song Festival (since Kosovo also aims to participate in Eurovision)," the reaction read, but the orchestra does not exist even after three years. And, among other things, both institutions complained about the lack of contact to give their versions, despite the fact that KOHA had covered the agreement. And this time, 10 days were not enough for RTK and MKT to provide their explanations.

Read also…