Press Release: State aid: Commission closes investigation into financing regime of Austria’s public service broadcaster ORF

The European Commission concluded that the financing regime of Austria's public service broadcaster ORF is now, following formal commitments from the Austrian Government, in line with EU state aid rules and has closed its investigation. In particular, Austria undertook to clarify ORF's public service remit, to limit ORF's financing to what is strictly necessary to fulfil its public service tasks, to organise a public consultation on proposed new media services and to clearly separate ORF's commercial activities from its public service mission. This decision applied for the first time the criteria outlined in the Commission's revised Broadcasting Communication of 2 July 2009.