BERLIN, June 23. /TASS/. German public international broadcaster Deutsche Welle has said in its report on its plans and objectives for this year presented to the German Bundestag (parliament) on Friday that it regards the work of its Russian counterparts as a threat to European values.
The document posted on the official website of the Bundestag asserts that "the Russian state-run media outlets broadcasting to audiences abroad represent only the position of the Russian government and believe their task is to destabilize the European society by means of disinformation and propaganda."
According to the report’s authors, "the Russian ‘information proposal’ has long been solidified on both sides of the political spectrum not only in Germany and poses a threat to the value consensus and European ideas."
Besides, the German broadcaster decided to list Russia among non-democratic countries. According to the report, "non-democratic countries are expanding their presence in terms of international broadcasting." It noted that "Russia (Russia Today, RT) and Qatar (Al Jazeera) are facing economic problems because of sanctions and falling oil prices, but support for foreign broadcasters there has not declined despite the difficult 2016." The report’s authors estimated the annual budget of the RT TV network at 400 million euros and that of Al Jazeera - at 500 million euros.
Deutsche Welle financed by subsidies from the German federal government, which has received 325.6 million euros from the state this year alone, claimed in its report that it is "seen the world over as an inalienable voice of freedom."
While calling on parliamentarians to increase its funding, it noted that the potential for the development of Deutsche Welle to represent Germany and its positions in the global media space has not been exhausted and is changing all the time as digital technologies develop.