Debate on SRG initiative National Council still divided on whether 200 francs is really enough
The National Council has begun its deliberations on the popular initiative "200 francs is enough". The initiative aims to reduce the fees for radio and television from the current CHF 335 to CHF 200 per year.
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- The popular initiative "200 francs is enough", launched by SVP circles, calls for a reduction in radio and television fees from the current 335 francs to 200 francs per year in future.
- The National Council began a marathon debate on the SRG initiative on Monday. No decisions have yet been made.
- The debate will continue in the second week of the session. No fewer than 76 National Councillors have signed up on the list of speakers.
The first part of the National Council debate on the popular initiative "200 francs is enough" brought a fundamental discussion on media policy on Monday. The large chamber has not yet made any decisions.
The left-wing and center parties in particular warned of a massive drop in quality for radio and television in Switzerland. This would jeopardize the media supply in the various language regions and thus the cohesion of the country.
The SVP, on the other hand, took the view that more efficiency, lower costs and a level playing field between SRG and private media companies were needed.
The GLP and a majority of the FDP parliamentary group rejected the initiative as too radical, but called for reforms and the abolition of the corporate levy.
"Halving the SRG"
The popular initiative, known as the SRG initiative or halving initiative, also calls for companies to be completely exempted from the levy. The preliminary committee recommended that the initiative be rejected by 17 votes to 8. It dispensed with an indirect counter-proposal after two corresponding proposals failed to gain a majority in the Council of States' sister committee.
"De facto, this initiative calls for the SRG to be halved," said Martin Candinas (center/GR) on behalf of the committee. This threatens to make the social debate more polarized and more susceptible to disinformation.
Candinas warned of serious economic consequences and job losses, particularly in peripheral regions. The initiative would also prevent SRG from facing up to the digital transformation and reaching young people.
SVP motion for rejection
Benjamin Fischer (SVP/ZH), on the other hand, said that the existing situation did not do justice to current usage behavior. He criticized the SRG for spreading itself further and further in entertainment and sport. He called for the bill to be referred back to the committee with the instruction to draw up an indirect counter-proposal. No vote was taken on this on Monday.
Jon Pult (SP/GR) accused the initiators of concealing their actual goal. It was not about reducing the burden on households, but about an attack on media diversity.
The Graubünden National Councillor referred to attacks on public media in other European countries. These were aimed at removing the information sector from the influence of the general public - in favor of private companies. The initiative fits precisely into this pattern.
FDP wants to contain the SRG
Michael Töngi (Greens/LU) emphasized that lower fees would not help the private media. This has been shown by the experience of recent years. The initiators are not only against the SRG, but also against any media funding and any regulation of social media. "Breaking up the SRG in its current form would also be a blow to democracy."
The initiative also went too far for a majority of the FDP parliamentary group. However, Damien Cottier (FDP/NE) called for the debate on SRG to continue in order to ensure fair competition. Andri Silberschmidt (FDP/ZH) expressly welcomed the recent agreement between SRG and private publishers.
Gregor Rutz (SVP/ZH) criticized the opponents' objections as alarmist. "Do you really believe that the only way to obtain appropriate information is through state-funded institutions?" he asked rhetorically. Switzerland had become strong thanks to private initiative.
Fee reduction is coming
The debate will continue in the second week of the session. The Federal Council had already accommodated the initiators last year. It decided to reduce the household fee to CHF 300 per year by ordinance.
In the debate, left-wing voices criticized the fact that the government had pre-empted the decision of parliament, the people and the cantons on the initiative. "An initiative with no chance of success has become a real reduction," said David Roth (SP/LU). On the other hand, there was praise for the Federal Council from the conservative side.
The SRG is already implementing a savings program. It expects to make savings of around CHF 270 million by 2029. This corresponds to around 17 percent of the current financial framework.
