Paris (AFP)

The Assembly approved Thursday night the 70 million euro decline in the 2020 budget for public broadcasting, denounced by the opposition, pending the vast reform of audio-visual expected in Parliament in January.

A total of 190 million savings are forecast for the sector between 2018 and 2022. In 2020, the credits decrease by 70 million to 3.79 billion euros.

France Télévisions sees for example its allocation down 62 million euros and Radio France 5 million.

"The net effort is actually closer to 50 million euros," said the rapporteur Marie-Ange Magne (LREM), "to the extent that the reform of taxes assigned to the CNC (national center of cinema) entails a relief for public broadcasting channels estimated at 20 million euros ".

"We are asking for an effort, it is true, but an effort that we consider sustainable" and which "also makes it possible to transform public broadcasting," said Minister of Culture Franck Riester.

In the ranks of opposition, rebellious Michel Larive denounced "free fall credits" and the communist Marie-George Buffet "a major blow to public broadcasting".

Virginie Duby-Muller (LR) regretted a "logic of planing" and "very late arbitrations", while the majority insisted on the decline of one euro of the audiovisual fee or the maintenance of TV5Monde credits.

The minister and the deputies evoked the preparation of the audiovisual bill and its most emblematic provision: the creation of "France Médias", the parent company of the public audiovisual sector which should regroup early 2021 in the same holding France Télévisions, Radio France and France Médias Monde (RFI, France 24 and Arabic radio station Monte Carlo Doualiya).

The text must be presented in November in the Council of Ministers and arrive at the Parliament in early 2020. "We look forward to this discussion," said the majority MP Geraldine Bannier (MoDem).

Another budget voted Thursday night, the mission "media, book and cultural industries" for its part of a 2% increase to 591 million euros in 2020.

The State is providing an additional six million euros to Agence France Presse (AFP) in 2020: 4.5 million euros in exceptional funding to "contribute to the transformation plan presented by the new CEO of the Agency" and 1, 5 million euros to revalue the current allocation.

"It's a huge effort," but "supporting AFP is indirectly supporting the entire press," said Franck Riester.

© 2019 AFP