Ethnic minorities may end up without periodicals

The president of Ukraine recently instructed the cabinet to formulate an ethnic policy concept. This issue is of national importance for our country, which has more than 100 ethnic groups. Against the backdrop of the task set by the head of state, the situation with print media that publish in a variety of minority languages is very strange. The state budget has allocated a certain sum for these editorial offices. This sum is even larger than last year, but the money is not reaching the addressees.

The State Committee on Nationalities and Migration has not confirmed the budget for these periodicals, nor has it determined the range of financing. The committee has proposed that the editors draw up new agreements with considerably smaller sums for their operating expenses. Thus, the Polish language newspaper Dzennik Kijowski, which expected to receive an amount equal to 80 percent of its production costs from the state committee, as previously agreed, is now being offered 50 percent.

“The State Committee on Nationalities and Migration is trying to decrease the previously established scope of financing national minorities’ newspapers without explaining its decision,” commented MP Oleksandr Feldman, president of the Association of National-Cultural Unions of Ukraine. “It wants to allocate a mere 30 percent of the required funds. In addition, it is deliberating delaying the terms of approval of these periodicals’ budgets, which is a blatant violation of Ukrainian legislation.”

Feldman has forwarded an inquiry to Prime Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov, requesting that he clarify the situation and resolve the matter of financing print media published in ethnic minority languages, and to evaluate the legality of the committee’s requirements concerning new agreements.

For its part, the Association of National-Cultural Unions of Ukraine has advised editorial offices of minority publications to sue the cabinet if it fails to fulfill its obligations, and even bring the matter to the European Court. The association guarantees legal support in any court action.