One of the Authors of the Draft Law on Modifying the Broadcasting Code Asks Andrian Candu not to Sign the Document and the Council of Europe to Examine it

Socialist MP Adrian Lebedinschi announced that he had withdrawn his signature from draft law no. 39 on modifying and supplementing the Broadcasting Code of Moldova no. 260 of July 27, 2006, adopted by the Parliament in two readings on February 26, 2016. At the same time, as co-author of the draft law, he addressed a message to Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu, asking him “to stop, until the deadline provided by law, the signing of the Law,” and sent a letter to Jose Luis Herrero, head of the Council of Europe Office in Moldova, pleading for “the draft law no. 39 of February 17, 2016 on modifying and supplementing the Broadcasting Code of Moldova no. 260 of July 27, 2006 to be subjected to expert examination.”

Adrian Lebedinschi said at the IJC Press Club meeting on March, 17 that he had withdrawn his signature from the draft law that was to be sent to the President for promulgation, but that other co-authors had not withdrawn their signatures. On the same day, the Socialist MP addressed Speaker Andrian Candu with the following message: “According to Article 73 of Parliament Regulations, legislative acts adopted by the Parliament are signed by the Speaker within 20 days, and then, according to Article 74 (1) of the same regulations, they are sent to the President of Moldova not later than on the business day following the day when they are signed. Given the above, I, as author and rapporteur, ask the signing of the Law on modifying and supplementing the Broadcasting Code of Moldova no. 260 of July 27, 2006 (published in the Official Monitor of Moldova no. 131-133/679 of August 18, 2006), registered as draft law no. 39 on February 17, 2016 and approved in the first and last reading at the plenary meeting of February 26, 2016, to be stopped until the deadline provided by law.”
Also, the co-author of the draft law sent a letter to Jose Luis Herrero, head of the Council of Europe Office in Moldova, asking “draft law no. 39 of February 17, 2016 on modifying and supplementing the Broadcasting Code of Moldova no. 260 of July 27, 2006 to be subjected to expert examination.”

When asked by Media Azi whether it would have been better to ask the Council of Europe for expert examination before voting on the law in the Parliament, Adrian Lebedinschi said: “The law has been voted in both readings, but it hasn’t been promulgated yet, and we hope to have an expert opinion by the time of promulgation.”

Draft law no. 39, prepared by socialist MPs, proposes modifying Article 66 of the current Broadcasting Code by reducing the number of licenses that can be held by media owners from 5 to 2 licenses. The civil society criticized the draft law, considering it inconsistent, and proposed a new Broadcasting Code to be adopted, taking into consideration transition to digital television. In this sense, several media organizations addressed a declaration to President Nicolae Timofti, asking him not to promulgate this law.