National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting

History and Status

The National Council is an independent constitutional permanent collegial state body acting based on the Constitution of Ukraine, the Law “On the Media” and other laws of Ukraine. It carries out state regulation, supervision and control in the field of media.

The National Council operates on the principles of the rule of law, legality, independence, objectivity, predictability, legal certainty, competence, professionalism, collegiality of consideration and resolution of issues, validity of decisions, openness and publicity.

The National Council consists of eight members. Of these, four members are appointed by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the other four are appointed by the President of Ukraine.

The National Council is considered competent if at least six of its members have been appointed. The powers of a member commence on the date the appointment decision of the relevant authority enters into force and continue for a term of five years, unless otherwise provided by the Law “On the Media.” A person may not serve as a member of the National Council for more than two consecutive terms.

Representatives of the National Council are appointed in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, regions (oblasts), cities of Kyiv and Sevastopol to ensure the exercise of powers of the National Council. For legal, scientific, informational, organisational, logistical and other forms of support of the National Council’s activities, the apparatus (an administrative office) of the National Council is established. It operates in accordance with the approved Regulations and Rules of Procedure of the National Council.

21 December 1993	The Law of Ukraine “On Television and Radio Broadcasting” entered into force. It declared, for the first time ever, the establishment of the regulatory and supervisory public authority in the electronic media in Ukraine, the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting. The activity of the constitutional, collegial body has had a decisive influence on the development of the television and radio information sphere of the modern Ukraine. The National Council undertakes a public policy on broadcasting licensing, assumes responsibility for the rational use of the state radio frequency resource, participates in the implementation of public policy in the television and radio information sphere and exercises a control over broadcasters` compliance with license terms and current legislation.
25 April 1994	The President of Ukraine, L. Kravchuk, issued a decree titled “On the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting”. V. Barsuk (Chair), A. Mykhailenko, A. Moskalenko, V. Pogorilko, M. Popovych, V. Tsendrovskyi, and O. Yaremchuk became members of the National Council.
3 June 1994	The President of Ukraine, L. Kravchuk, issued a decree titled “On the Temporary Regulation on the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting”.
1 August 1994	The newly elected President of Ukraine, L. Kuchma, dissolved the previously established National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting and revoked the decree “On the Temporary Regulation on the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting” due to its incompatibility with current Ukrainian legislation.
15 December 1994	The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a new “Temporary Regulation on the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting”, that remained in effect until the enactment of the separate law and appointed the personal staff of eight members of the National Council. On the proposal of O. Moroz, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, V. Petrenko (Chair), I. Mashchenko, V. Pogorilko, and O. Yaremchuk became members of the National Council. On the proposal of L. Kuchma, the President of Ukraine, O. Kochetkov, V. Kudin, O. Liakhov, M. Slobodian became members of the National Council.

15 June 1995	The National Council launched broadcasting licensing. The National Radio Company of Ukraine received the first license for three wired programmes.
1995	The National Council began to maintain the State Register of Broadcasting Organizations of Ukraine. It includes the data on broadcasting organizations that have been granted broadcasting licenses, programme service provider licenses or have been registered as information entities. The State Register is constantly updated through inclusion or exclusion of broadcasters, changes on business activities, territorial category of transmission, license terms, etc.
28 June 1996	The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Constitution of Ukraine at its fifth session. According to Paragraph 20 of Article 85 of the Fundamental Law, the Verkhovna Rada is authorized to appoint one-half of the composition of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting. Paragraph 13 of Article 106 assigns to the President of Ukraine the authority to appoint the other half of the Council’s composition.
1996	The National Television Company of Ukraine (NTCU), along with other broadcasters that later became nationwide — such as STB, Inter, ICTV, NBM, and Studio “1+1” — received licenses from the National Council.
23 September 1997	The Law of Ukraine “On the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting” entered into force, expanding the powers of the regulatory body, clearly defining its tasks and functions, and introducing a new procedure for forming its composition. The Law stipulates that four members of the National Council are to be appointed by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and the other four by the President of Ukraine
1997	Three major broadcasters — the National Television Company of Ukraine, Studio “1+1”, and Television Corporation Inter — began broadcasting.
24 December 1998	The National Council issued the first satellite license.
February 1999	The National Council reported on its work at the plenary session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for the first time. The report was taken into consideration. However, the powers of members of the National Council were terminated in the middle of March and the new composition was not appointed.
16 March 1999	The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved the new list of four members of the National Council: S. Aksenenko, M. Kniazhytskyi, V. Tsendrovskyi, M. Chervinchuk.
June 1999 – June 2000	The National Council did not undertake any activities.
18 May 2000	The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine appointed the new four members of the National Council by preferential vote: M. Kniazhytskyi, V. Leshyk, Yu. Pokalchuk, M. Poturaiev.
June 2000	The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine revoked its decision of March 16, 1999, regarding the appointment of four members to the National Council.
9 June 2000	The President of Ukraine, L. Kuchma, appointed the following members of the National Council: M. Bagraiev, V. Hranovskyi, Yu. Plaksiuk, B. Kholod in accordance with his decree. B. Kholod became Chair of the National Council.
2000	The National Council adopted a number of regulations, namely on licensing, competition terms on broadcasting licensing, as well as the order of retransmission in the cable networks, etc. Subsequently, the regulations were amended.
14 December 2000	The National Council established an award “Teletriumf” in order to promote the development of the national television industry.
2001	The National Council became a member of the European Platform of Regulatory Authorities (EPRA), which brings together regulatory bodies from most European countries. This independent international organization unites 52 similar authorities from 46 countries worldwide and aims to facilitate the exchange of information, experience, and best practices among its members.
22 March 2001	The first “Teletriumf” awards ceremony took place, honouring the winners of 2000 across 14 categories. The recipients were selected and awarded by an expert commission.
15 May 2001	The National Council introduced “The Journal of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting”. On May 23, 2001, the Journal obtained a certificate of mass media state registration and was published until 2005 once every two months. In January 2006, the Journal was converted into the newsletter. On March 18, 2009, the National Council decided to suspend the publication of the newsletter.
11 June 2001	The National Council introduced its website. It contained the information on the electronic media regulatory framework, the structure of the apparatus of the National Council, competitions on channels and frequencies, the press service announcements, etc.
2002-2003	In connection with the rotation of the National Council and the appointment of M. Bagraiev, a member of the National Council, as a People’s Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada, by its decree, appointed the following individuals as members of the National Council: Yu. Shkarlat (February – July 2002), V. Ponedilko (since July 2002), V. Shevchenko (since July 2002), V. Manzhosov (since February 2003), and T. Lebedeva (since February 2003). Pursuant to presidential decrees, the following individuals were also appointed as members of the National Council: V. Pavlenko (since March 2003), V. Leshyk (since September 2003), and M. Fartushnyi (since September 2003).
2000-2003	The National Council developed and adopted a number of important regulations concerning the licensing and oversight of broadcasters to ensure compliance with Ukrainian legislation. An active phase of licensing for cable, satellite, and satellite-cable broadcasting was launched. During this period, broadcasters such as ICTV, STB, New Channel, TET, Tonis, and Ukraine expanded their broadcasting networks. FM radio station networks were introduced.
18 June 2003	The National Council introduced visual classification labels for video content aimed at different age groups of viewers, in accordance with its Decision No. 781.
14 April 2004	The National Council adopted Recommendations on determining the language of programmes and broadcasts within the programme concepts of organizations that either operate in the territory of Ukraine or apply for a broadcasting license. These Recommendations encouraged nationwide broadcasters, as well as those operating across multiple administrative-territorial units, to broadcast in the official language. For regional and local broadcasters (serving several settlements within a single territorial unit), the language of programmes and broadcasts was required to be at least 50% in Ukrainian. The Recommendations were subsequently amended.
17 March 2005	The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine extended the terms of National Council members T. Lebedeva and V. Ponedilko.
18 March 2005	The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, pursuant to its decree, appointed members of the National Council: V. Shevchenko (Chair) and Yu. Plaksiuk.
3 April 2005	Pursuant to his decree, the President of Ukraine, V. Yushchenko, appointed the following members to the National Council: I. Kurus, V. Liasovskyi, A. Myroshnichenko, and Yu. Storozhuk.
13 June 2005	The National Council signed the Memorandum of cooperation with television and radio broadcasters in order to promote the development of the national information space. It primarily stressed on the necessity to increase the proportion of national product in the air.
1 March 2006	The Law of Ukraine “On Television and Radio Broadcasting” (No. 3317-IV), which introduced a licensing procedure for programme service providers and established language quotas, came into force. Under this law, nationwide broadcasters are required to allocate at least 75% of their daily transmission time to content in the official language, Ukrainian. The language(s) used in a broadcaster’s programmes and transmissions are determined by the terms specified in the broadcasting license. These licenses include a dedicated section to indicate the volume of broadcasting in the official language.
14 July 2006	The National Council updated the Memorandum in order to regulate the relations between the regulator and television channels, mainly regarding broadcast in the official language, respect of quotas on national television product, and its priority over foreign ones.
21 July 2006	The National Council signed the Memorandum of cooperation with radio broadcasters.
2006	The updated Law “On Television and Radio Broadcasting” introduced programme service provider licensing through cable multichannel networks and MITRIS, Teleselo, MMDS systems, etc. This made possible to stop unfair competition in broadcasting sphere and mass violations of copyright and related rights.
7 February 2006	The National Council initiated the establishment of the Independent Expert Council on Mass Media Activities During Elections — an advisory body intended to provide independent expert opinions, assessments, and recommendations to the Central Election Commission and the National Council throughout the election period. Similar expert councils were also active in 2007 and 2008.
7 February 2007	By presidential decree, Yu. Storozhuk was dismissed from his position as a member of the National Council. Subsequently, T. Mokridi was appointed a new member of the National Council.
2007	The National Council initiated the process of introducing digital broadcasting. The multichannel network within multiplex MX-4 was launched, and a competition held on April 2, 2008, determined the winners for broadcasting rights in this network.
28 December 2007	The National Council adopted Rules for Maintaining the State Register of Broadcasting Organizations in Ukraine (Decision No 1709).
1 March 2008	Regulations on cable broadcasting licensing procedure and retransmission of programmes and broadcasts came into force. The process of adaptation of foreign programmes to current Ukrainian legislation began (Article 42 of Law of Ukraine “On Television and Radio Broadcasting”).
17 December 2008	The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ratified the European Convention on Transfrontier Television, and on July 1, 2009, Ukraine became a full party to the Convention. Since then, this international legal instrument has served as a guiding framework for the National Council in its regulatory activities.
21 April 2009	The National Council granted V. Shevchenko’s application for dismissal from the post of chair of the regulatory body.
24 November 2009	Pursuant to presidential decrees, V. Liasovskyi was dismissed from his position as a member of the National Council, and O. Golovatenko was appointed in his place.
22 February 2010	The President of Ukraine, V. Yushchenko, dismissed I. Kurus and A. Myroshnichenko from the positions of members of the National Council in accordance with his decrees.
23 February 2010	The President of Ukraine, V. Yushchenko, signed decrees on appointment of A. Myroshnichenko and L. Mudrak as members of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting.
26 February 2010	The President of Ukraine, V. Yanukovych, annulled the decree of former President of Ukraine, V. Yushchenko, titled “On the Appointment of A. Myroshnichenko as a Member of the National Council” as of February 23, 2010.
2 April 2010	The President of Ukraine, V. Yanukovych, dismissed T. Mokridi from the position of a member of the National Council and appointed V. Manzhosov as his replacement. Subsequently, V. Manzhosov was elected Chair of the National Council.
15 April 2010	Yu. Plaksiuk resigned from the position of a member of the National Council. He was subsequently appointed Chairman of the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine.”
29 June 2010	The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine appointed E. Baranov, O. Yelmanova, I. Opilat, and M. Fartushnyi members of the National Council.
2011	The National Council initiated the licensing of programme service providers using IPTV technology. It also introduced a nationwide terrestrial digital broadcasting network based on the DVB-T2 standard and designated LLC Zeonbud as the programme service provider for this network.
16-17 August 2011	The National Council identified winners of the competition on digital broadcasting in multiplex MX-5 for regional and local broadcasters. 85 broadcasters got the opportunity for digital broadcasting.
18 August 2011	The National Council announced the results of the competition on digital broadcasting in multiplexes MX-1, MX-2, MX-3 and MX-5 for nationwide broadcasters. 28 companies became winners and obtained digital broadcasting licenses.
11-12 September 2012	The National Council identified winners of the second competition on broadcasting in multiplex MX-5 for regional and local companies. Another 21 local and 4 regional companies received digital broadcasting licenses.
14 November 2012	The National Council granted the application of Oksana Kaletnyk (Yelmanova) for her dismissal from the position of a member of the National Council in connection with her election as a People’s Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
4 July 2013	The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine appointed V. Heorhiievska as a member of the National Council in accordance with its decree.
11 February 2014	The President of Ukraine, V. Yanukovych, appointed L. Bakalenko as the eighth member of the National Council.
28 February 2014	On the basis of the Decree of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine “On Impeachment of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting on the Results of 2013 Report Consideration” as of February 28, 2014 No 837-VII and the Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to the Law of Ukraine ‘On the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting’” as of April 17, 2014 No 1222 the powers of E. Baranov, V. Heorhiievska, I. Opilat, and M. Fartushnyi were early terminated.
March 2014	The National Council applied to court to declare four Russian programmes, The First Channel. The world network (LLC The First Channel), RTR-Planeta, The Russian Information Channel Russia-24 (The Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, Federal State Unitary Enterprise), NTV-Mir (LLC Television Company NTV) to be contrary to Ukrainian legislation and the European Convention on Transfrontier Television. On March 25, the Kyiv District Administrative Court of Ukraine obliged LLC Torsat and multichannel networks that concluded agreements with it to stop retransmission of these foreign programmes in multichannel television networks on the territory of Ukraine.
4 July 2014	The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine appointed four members of the National Council by preferential vote: O. Herasymiuk, O. Iliashenko, K. Kotenko, and O. Chernysh.
7 July 2014	The President of Ukraine, P. Poroshenko, dismissed V. Manzhosov, L. Mudrak, L. Bakalenko from the positions of members of the National Council. At that date, Yu. Artemenko, V. Sevriukov, and G. Shverk became members of the National Council in accordance with decrees of the President of Ukraine.
9 July 2014	Yu. Artemenko was elected Chair of the National Council, O. Herasymiuk –First Deputy Chair, G. Shverk – Deputy Chair, K. Kotenko – Executive Secretary of the National Council.
11 September 2014	The President of Ukraine, P. Poroshenko, dismissed O. Golovatenko from the office of a member of the National Council in accordance with his decree.
2014	The National Council, while serving the state interests and realizing the consequences of broadcasting the programmes, which traditionally contain false information, calls for incitement of war, hostility and hatred, contempt for the patriotic feelings of Ukrainian citizens and their impact on people’s minds, declared a number of foreign programmes to be contrary to the European Convention on Transfrontier Television and the current Ukrainian legislation. There were RTR-Planeta, NTV-Mir, Russia 24, TV Center-International, RosBusinessConsulting TV (RBC – TV), History (The Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, Federal State Unitary Enterprise) among them.
18 December 2014	The National Council adopted the first decision on temporary broadcasting in the Anti-Terrorist Operation zone (ATO).
Late 2014	The unified radio network of Ukraine was created with the use of FM resource. The number of frequency assignments increased every year and as of 20 October 2018, the network consisted of 195 FM frequencies that broadcast «Ukrainian Radio», «Promin», «Culture» (not included –temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk regions and Crimea).
2015	Retransmission of 10 Russian television channels, 24 Techno, Mir 24, Strana, Russkyi Illusion, Dom Kino, Oruzhye, Mnohoseryinoe TV, Shkolnyk TV, Fenix+Kino, Illyuzion-Plus, was restricted due to the spread of propaganda information by broadcasters of the aggressor state, the revealed facts of non-compliance with Ukrainian legislation and the European Convention on Transfrontier Television.
9 April 2015	The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Law of Ukraine “On Condemnation of the Communist and National Socialist (Nazi) Totalitarian Regimes and Prohibition of Propaganda of Their Symbols”. It prohibited dissemination and demonstration of films and serials that promoted or popularized public authorities of the aggressor state or their separate actions, created a positive image of public officials of the aggressor state or representatives of the Soviet state security agencies, justified or claimed legitimate occupation of the Ukrainian territory. It also prohibited demonstration of films produced by individuals and legal entities of the aggressor state since January 1, 2014. The National Council began to supervise over broadcasters` compliance with the Law.
10 April 2015	When the updated Law of Ukraine “On Public Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine” came into force, the reform process of state broadcasting organizations into the National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (NPBCU) began. In the first stage, state broadcasters were merged into NPBCU. With this aim, the National Council reissued 161 broadcasting licenses.
14 May 2015	The Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on Peculiarities of Advertising Retransmission of Programmes and Broadcasts of Foreign Broadcasting Organisations” was adopted. According to it, the National Council was authorized to maintain the list of foreign programmes permitted in Ukraine. Advertising distribution by the broadcasters originated from the countries that had not ratified the European Convention on Transfrontier Television was banned.
3 September 2015	The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Law “On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on Ensuring Transparency of the Media Ownership, as well as the Implementation of the Principles of State Policy in the Field of Television and Radio Broadcasting”. As stated in it, subjects of informational activity (entities in the field of audiovisual media and programme service providers) are required to disclose on their website and provide the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting with information about their ownership structure and ultimate beneficiaries no later than March 31 of the following reporting year.
14 September2015	Decrees of the President of Ukraine Nos. 542/2015, 543/2015 dismissed Vladyslav Sevriukov and Hryhorii Shverk from the positions of members of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting in connection with their election as People’s Deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
14 September 2015	Serhii Kostynskyi and Uliana Feshchuk were appointed as members of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting by Decrees of the President of Ukraine Nos. 544/2015, 545/2015.
23 September2015	Uliana Feshchuk was appointed as Deputy Chair of the National Council.
17 December 2015	At the meeting of the National Council, the composition of the NPBCU Supervisory Board was approved, consisting of 17 people: 9 from public organizations and 8 from parliamentary factions and groups.
16 June 2016	The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a law that obliges broadcasting organizations to ensure that songs in the state language make up at least 35% of the total volume of songs broadcast during the day. In addition, it is stipulated that at least 60% of the daily volume of broadcasts must be in the state language. The implementation of the law will take place in three stages. The law entered into force on November 8, 2016.
2 August 2016	The National Council granted K. Kotenko’s application for dismissal from the position of a member of the National Council.
27 September 2016	By Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 412/2016, V. Koval was appointed as a member of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting.
24 November2016	O. Iliashenko was elected Executive Secretary of the National Council.
13 June 2017	The Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine Regarding the Language of Audiovisual (Electronic) Mass Media” was published. In accordance with the requirements of the Final and Transitional Provisions of the Law that came into force on October 13, 2017, during the first year of its operation, all broadcasts and films of domestic production and national audiovisual product are accounted for in the requirements as the share of broadcasts and films produced in the state language. Since October 13, 2018, the following requirements regarding the share of the Ukrainian language are stipulated: not less than 75% of the Ukrainian language – on the air of national and regional TV channels; not less than 60% of the Ukrainian language – on the air of local TV channels; not less than 75% of the total amount of news broadcasts – news in the Ukrainian language.
7 December 2017	The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine Regarding Temporary Broadcasting Permits in the Anti-Terrorist Operation Zone and Border Areas of Ukraine”, which legalized the concept of temporary broadcasting in territories with a special broadcasting regime and the granting of relevant permits by the National Council instead of licenses on an application basis on a non-competitive basis.
11 July 2018	The National Council began issuing temporary broadcasting permits in territories with a special broadcasting regime, in accordance with the Procedure for issuing and revocation of a temporary broadcasting permit, the conditions of the permit and the procedure for supervising compliance with the legislation on television and radio broadcasting by broadcasting organizations that carry out temporary broadcasting in territories with a special broadcasting regime on the basis of the relevant permit, approved by the decision of the National Council dated March 1, 2018 No. 288 and registered with the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine on March 29, 2018 under No. 386/31838. As of October 26, 2018, 31 broadcasting organizations broadcasted based on temporary broadcasting permits on 97 frequencies and 34 television channels.
2014-2018	80 foreign channels that did not meet the requirements of Ukrainian legislation and the European Convention on Transfrontier Broadcasting were restricted for retransmission on cable networks. Whereas, as of 11 October 2018, 181 foreign channels were allowed for retransmission.
31 Jule 2018	Analogue television was switched off in Kyiv city and Kirovohrad region.
31 August 2018	Analogue television was switched off throughout Ukraine. Until May 1, 2019, NPBCU TV channels, local broadcasters, and analogue channels continued to broadcast in the territory of the Joint Forces Operation and in border areas with the aggressor country.
29 November2018	The development of the network of military and patriotic radio “Army FM – Military Radio” was launched. The radio station received FM frequencies in Kyiv, Vinnytsia and Zhytomyr in a competition.
8 May 2019	The Government’s resolution extended the deadline for switching off analogue television until December 31, 2019, in areas bordering the Russian Federation and extending it to temporarily occupied territories, as well as for local broadcasters that did not have licenses for broadcasting in the digital standard.
30 May 2019	By Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine No. 2730-VIII, Maksym Onopriienko was appointed to the position of a member of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting.
9 July 2019	By Decree No. 510 of the President of Ukraine, Yurii Artemenko was dismissed from the position of a member of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting.
9 July 2019	By Decree No. 503 of the President of Ukraine, Yurii Zinevych was appointed as a member of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting.
11 October 2019	The FM-networks for two public service radio channels – “Radio Promin” and “Radio Culture” – were competitively formed.
18 October 2019	Amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting” were adopted. It improved the procedure for dismissing and appointing members of the National Council.
31 October 2019	By Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine No. 261-IX, Olha Herasymiuk, Oleksandr Iliashenko, and Oleh Chernysh were dismissed from their positions as members of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting. They continued to perform their duties in accordance with Part One of Article 5 of the Law of Ukraine No. 138-IX of October 2, 2019 “On Amendments to the Law of Ukraine ‘On the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting’ on Improving the Procedure for Dismissing and Appointing Members of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting” until the day of appointment of new members of the National Council by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
4 March 2020	Decrees of the President of Ukraine Nos. 63, 64, 65, 66 early terminated the powers of the following members of the National Council: Yurii Zinevych, Valentyn Koval, Serhii Kostynskyi, and Uliana Feshchuk.
5 March 2020	By Decrees of the President of Ukraine Nos. 67, 68, Yurii Zinevych and Valentyn Koval were appointed as members of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting.
15 April 2020	By Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 147, Olena Nitsko was appointed as a member of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting.
22 April 2020	The powers of Olha Herasymiuk as First Deputy Chair of the National Council and Oleksandr Iliashenko as Executive Secretary of the National Council were terminated. Olha Herasymiuk was elected Chair of the National Council, Valentyn Koval – First Deputy Chair, Oleh Chernysh – Deputy Chair, Yurii Zinevych – Executive Secretary.
12 May 2020	By Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 171, Tetiana Rudenko was appointed as a member of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting.
15 December 2021	By Resolutions of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Nos. 1956-IX, 1957-IX, and 1958-IX, Oleksandr Burmahin, Oleh Chernysh, and Olha Herasymiuk were appointed as members of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting.
20 December 2021	The powers of Valentyn Koval as First Deputy Chair of the National Council and Yurii Zinevych as Executive Secretary of the National Council were terminated. Olha Herasymiuk was elected Chair of the National Council, Valentyn Koval as First Deputy Chair, Oleh Chernysh as Deputy Chair, and Olena Nitsko as Executive Secretary.
31 December 2022	The Law of Ukraine “On the Media” was adopted. The following came under the scope of regulation of the National Council: • audiovisual media; • audio media; • print media; • online media; • audiovisual service providers; • video sharing platform providers; • providers of electronic communication services for broadcasting needs using the radio frequency spectrum. The law changed the approach to media licensing, introducing the principle of registration for many media entities. Only entities that broadcast using the radio spectrum are subject to licensing. An approach was introduced where content restrictions apply to all types of media, regardless of technology. For the first time, the media regulator was given the authority to communicate with digital platforms. The Law also included a separate section on media regulation in the context of armed aggression.
31 March 2023	The Law of Ukraine “On the Media” came into force.
15 June 2023	The National Council registered the first media entities in accordance with the requirements of the new media legislation.
22 June 2023	EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, in his report to the European Council, highly assessed Ukraine’s implementation of media legislation reform as one of Ukraine’s seven commitments in connection with its acquisition of EU candidate status.
22 June 2023	The first online media outlets were registered, including a channel on the video sharing platform YouTube.
6 July 2023	The first online media outlet that operated on social networks was registered – the Telegram channel “From Village to City”.
27 July 2023	The National Council registered the first Ukrainian on-demand audiovisual media service “1+1 Video”.
4 October 2023	Media regulators from Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Romania signed a Declaration on Cooperation and Mutual Support in the Fight Against Disinformation in Warsaw. Thus, they consolidated their intentions to work together to counter the influence of propaganda, primarily Russian, in the societies of these countries.
December 2023	Media representatives’ expert groups were formed to work on creating joint regulatory bodies in the areas of audiovisual, audio media services, and online media.
December 2023	The Ukrainian media regulator was invited as an observer to the European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services (ERGA). It includes representatives of national independent regulatory authorities of the European Union in the field of audiovisual services.
March 2024	The Chair of the National Council, Olha Herasymiuk, headed the newly established National Committee of Ukraine for the UNESCO “Information for All” Programme (IFAP). Oleksandr Burmahin, a member of the media regulator, was also appointed to its composition. The task of the committee is to bring expert knowledge and authority of Ukrainian professionals to all areas covered by UNESCO.
June 2024	Joint regulatory bodies in the fields of audiovisual media services, audio media services, and online media were created and registered as public associations.
4 July 2024	A working group aimed at creating a joint regulatory body in the field of print media was formed.
4 December 2024	A joint regulatory body in the field of print media was created and registered as a public association.
10 January 2025	The Twinning project “Reforming the Audiovisual Media Regulatory System in Ukraine in Line with EU Standards and International Best Practices” was launched for the National Council. It is aimed at increasing the efficiency, transparency and consistency of media policy in Ukraine, and bringing Ukrainian media practices closer to EU media policy.
20 February 2025	The National Council registered three Ukrainian video sharing platform providers for the first time.

Mission and goals

Mission

• Promoting freedom of speech and protecting national media space of Ukraine, capable of counteracting threats to the information security of the state.
• Creating favourable conditions for a competitive media environment through professional, effective and impartial media regulation, safeguarding pluralism of opinions and space for the development of media innovations.
• Promoting a change of paradigm of freedom of speech through increasing cooperation with media regulators and their associations, as well as international organisations.

Goals

• Protection of the information space from the influence of the aggressor state.
• Synchronization of legislative processes of Ukraine and Europe in view of features of the national media landscape.
• Informational reintegration of the temporarily occupied and de-occupied territories, ensuring broadcasting in the territories with a special broadcasting regime.
• Improving the inclusiveness of the media space.
• Promoting professional dialog between media and the state, between society and media.
• Gender balance in media.
• Media literacy of society through the media literacy of media companies; reducing discrimination in media.
• Promoting effective operation of co-regulatory bodies.
• Development of broadcasting networks and multichannel networks, stimulation of a competitive media environment.
• Strengthening subjectivity of Ukraine in the international arena and participation in shaping the agenda of international information processes.

Action Strategy of the National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine 2024-2026