Valencia’s Center for Contemporary Culture (CCC) has hosted the launching of the legislative popular initiative called “Television without borders: for TV3 in the Valencian Country”. It is a campaign promoted by Cultural Action of the Valencian Country (ACPV) with the support of trade unions, political parties and civic organizations, as well as renowned political and intellectual figures form the Catalan Countries.

The project aims at collecting 500,000 signatures, which is the minimum amount established to discuss a legislative popular initiative in the Spanish Congress. The petition calls for members of the Spanish Parliament to draw up legislation to regulate TV3 broadcasting in the autonomous community of Valencia. Promoters will extend the campaign across Spain so that the number of signatures is met. It is expected that support will be gathered particularly in the Catalan Countries, Galicia and the Basque Country. The campaign will come to a close by June 24 2010.

Public Catalan Television (TV3) has been traditionally received in the Valencian Country through boosters owned by Valencian civil organizations such as Cultural Action of the Valencian Country itself. However, the Government of Valencia started dismantling most of the boosters recently, arguing they are not legal. TV3 cannot be broadcasted in many areas of the Valencian Country ever since. The promoters of the initiative said in the press conference that the project “not only aims at solving TV3’s closure in the Valencian Country, but also seeks for recognition of Catalan, Galician and Basque communicational territories”.

Even though reaching 500,000 signatures in the next 6 months is regarded as a difficult task, promoters are confident that social and political backing will facilitate the process. The launching of the campaign was attended by CCOO, UGT, Intersindical Valenciana and Acció Sindical trade unions, as well as officials from the following political parties: Esquerra Unida del País Valencià (United Left), Bloc Nacionalista Valencià (Valencian Nationalist Bloc), Esquerra Republicana del País Valencià (Republican Left), Iniciativa pel Poble Valencià (Initiative for Valencian People) and els Verds del País Valencià (Greens). Other pro-independence cultural and political organizations also attended the event.

The promoting committee consists of distinguished people such as Manuel Vicent (writer from Castelló), Salvador Giner (sociologist and president of the Institute for Catalan Studies), Ferran Villalonga (president of Ignasi Villalonga Institute for Economic and Business Studies), Carles Santos (musician), Pasqual Maragall (former president of Catalonia), Joan Laporta (president of F.C. Barcelona), Jaume Mateu (president of Balearic Cultural Work, OCB) and Pere Gimferrer (Catalan writer).

Further information:

• Campaign: Sindicats, partits i associacions presenten a València la Iniciativa Legislativa Popular per una Televisió Sense Fronteres, per TV3 al País Valencià
• Vilaweb: La Iniciativa Legislativa Popular 'per una Televisió Sense Fronteres, per TV3 al País Valencià' s'ha presentat avui
• Levante-EMV: En busca de firmas para legalizar TV3 en la Comunitat