Polish Sejm Approves Funding For Belsat

The Sejm adopted amendments to the budget, which guarantee the channel funds for work.

On December 5, the Polish Sejm Finance Commission adopted amendments to the budget, which allow the Ministry of Finance to allocate funds for the Belsat TV channel.

"Belsat is saved," – the director of the channel Agnieszka Romaszewska wrote on Twitter.

The Parliamentary Commission approved the amendments after two readings of the draft budget. Now the deputies should approve them at the plenary session.

"Amendments passing through the Finance Commission and having political support usually pass 99.9%," – Agnieszka Romaszewska told Radio Svaboda.

One of the deputies of the ruling party Law And Justice proposed an amendment that would guarantee the allocation of funds to the channel through the Ministry of Finance, the leader of the Jaroslaw Kaczynski supported the amendment.

Before 2016, 16-20 million zlotys were allocated for Belsat by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland, another part of the money came from other sources. But in December 2016, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs significantly reduced the funding of Belsat, which in general jeopardized the existence of the TV channel.

However, in November 2017, the first good news appeared: the head of Belsat Agnieszka Romaszewska hinted that "there is a political will to keep Belsat" and that "the Ministry of Finance is working to support it financially."