On irregularities at the Spanish National Radio and Television Corporation (CRTVE) 

The petitioner complains of a lack of democratic control in the last two years in the management of Corporación de Radio Televisión Española (CRTVE – Spanish National Radio and Television Corporation). The petitioner says that CRTVE is governed by Law 17/2006 of 5 June 2006, which states that CRTVE is publicly owned and sets out its management structure. The petitioner stresses that this law lays down, among others, that CRTVE shall enjoy autonomy in its management and shall be functionally independent of the Government and the ‘national state administration. It also lays down that administration and management of CRTVE shall fall to the Board of Directors, which shall perform its normal executive management functions through its Chair, who shall preside over CRTVE and that the members of the Board of Directors shall be selected by Parliament, six by the Congress of Deputies and four by the Senate. The petitioner relates that on 22 June 2018 the Spanish Government used a Royal Decree-Law to dismiss the previous Board of Directors. Until the members of the new Board of Directors of CRTVE and its new Chair could be appointed, a single provisional administrator was named to take charge of CRTVE’s administration and represent it for a limited period of time until appointment of the members of the board could take place, in accordance with legislation in force. This allowed time to hold an open recruitment competition to select the new Board of Directors and its Chair. However, this procedure has been at a standstill ever since. The petitioner asks that the Spanish authorities be urged to comply with normal democratic practice, to abide by the legislation in force and to continue the open recruitment competition for new members of the Board of Directors of CRTVE and appointment of its Chair and finalise it.