Media market in Ukraine to remain inactive until war is over, Deputy PM says

The launch of a media market in Ukraine will only be possible when the war is over.

Source: Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, in an interview with ERR

Commenting on the conditions set by the European Commission for Ukraine to start EU membership negotiations, Stefanishyna noted that one of the conditions concerns the creation of a transparent media market.

Quote from Stefanishyna: "This is not just about ensuring freedom of speech, it’s also an important step towards de-oligarchisation. We have passed the relevant legislation. This legislation is in line with EU legislation and it corresponds to market conditions."

Ukraine has also established a state agency to ensure the monitoring of this market, Stefanishyna said.

The legislation also includes very stringent transparency requirements regarding ownership and asset management in the media business sector, along with sanctions for non-compliance with these requirements.

Changes have been made to anti-monopoly legislation in the media business sector so that the presence of monopolies can be determined. This involves transparency of specific information and the obligation to provide this information.

"So we have met this condition, although we do have certain restrictions on radio and television broadcasting in wartime conditions," Stefanishyna said.

At the same time, she noted that the country is under martial law, and there are certain restrictions on television broadcasting.

"We will launch the media market as a market, as economically viable projects, after the war. Currently this is impossible, although streaming platforms and various internet projects are actively developing in our country," the Deputy Prime Minister concluded.

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