Bodo Hombach, chief of WAZ media group announces at Deutsclandradio Kultur a new withdrawal from South Eastern Europe and talks about the press in Romania, following the group’s decision this summer to sell its shares at the Romanian daily Romania libera. Mass media in Romania is mostly in the hand of some oligarchs, more precisely in the hand of several businessmen who won their money in other sectors, Bodo Hombach said, quoted by RFI radio.

In an interview for the national radio station, Hombach expresses his concern about mass media in Eastern countries. He announced that his company might withdraw from Hungary as well. The WAZ group withdrew from Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania last year.

Mass media in Romania, according to him, is controlled by businessmen who made fortunes in other sectors and who offer financial support for the press, sometimes even by 60 million/year, the official said. Bodo Hombach comes to the conclusion that the only mass media to reach European standards is in Croatia.

In all other countries there are problems that can be resolved but only if the EU involves more in the sector.