Parliament committee seeks three experts for ERR council

Estonia’s parliamentary Culture Committee has opened a public competition to find three new expert members for the council of Eesti Rahvusringhääling, the country’s public broadcaster, ERR reported Monday.

A law adopted by Parliament earlier this summer requires the council to have more experts than representatives of parliamentary factions. The council currently has four experts and six faction representatives, so three additional expert members are needed.

Culture Committee chair Liina Kersna said the formation of a minority government would not affect the selection process. She said the committee aimed to find candidates who could win broad support both in the committee and in Parliament.

Kersna noted that the law had also been supported by opposition lawmakers, including members of the Social Democrats, and said expert council members had generally received broader backing than just that of the governing coalition.

“At present, politicians hold a majority on the council, which is incompatible with the independence of public broadcasting,” Kersna said. She added that bringing in more experts should increase the political independence of ERR’s highest governing body.

The committee is seeking recognised experts in ERR’s field of activity whose knowledge, experience, achievements and independent judgement can help fulfil the public broadcaster’s objectives and the council’s duties.

The current expert members are Paavo Nõgene, Raul Rebane, Rein Veidemann and council chair Sulev Valner.

Applications will be accepted until September 7. Parliament appoints council members on the Culture Committee’s proposal. The matter will be considered in a single reading and requires a majority of votes to pass.