The VRT leadership will not be appearing for a hearing in the Flemish Parliament as N-VA and opposition party Vlaams Belang were absent for an extra session of the Media Committee, resulting in no quorum and no vote being taken on the request for a hearing. On Thursday, there was controversy surrounding a new TV series being produced by VRT called ‘Knappe heads’, which critics within VRT claim was pushed through in a brutal manner with political interference.
The incident is just one of many in recent weeks and months, including the cancellation of a documentary series about Bart De Pauw. Opposition parties Groen and Vooruit have been pushing for the VRT leadership, especially CEO Frederik Delaplace, to provide explanations in the Flemish Parliament. However, the ruling party N-VA has been blocking these attempts.
Groen and Vooruit expressed disappointment with the lack of accountability from the majority party N-VA after N-VA did not show up for an extra session of the Media Committee on Friday leading to a lack of MPs to vote. This led to debate about the role of parliament in overseeing the VRT. The situation has sparked calls for greater transparency and accountability from both parties involved.