EU-Moldova Parliamentary Association Committee Recommends Urgent Adoption of a New Broadcasting Code

On Monday, May 22, in Chisinau, members of the European Parliament and members of the Moldovan Parliament gathered for the fourth meeting of the EU-Moldova Parliamentary Association Committee (PAC) and discussed a number of issues, including the situation in the media. At the end of discussions, they adopted recommendations to Moldovan authorities and to the European Commission.

The Parliamentary Association Committee agreed on the final declaration and came up with a number of recommendations, stressing, in particular: “the importance of transparency of media ownership and of ensuring media pluralism, including television channels, protecting independent media and freedom of expression, and reforming the national broadcaster; In this regard, the PAC again stresses the need to urgently adopt the new Broadcasting Code, which has been pending for several years now; Therefore, the PAC urges the working group, recently created by the Parliament of Moldova, to act quickly on adoption of a new Broadcasting Code, in consultation with the civil society and with the support of the EU, the Council of Europe and the OSCE, and to align with relevant EU Directives.”

We shall remind that on May 17, the Parliament announced about the creation of a working group to improve the broadcasting legislation, headed by Speaker Andrian Candu (co-chairs - Vladimir Hotineanu (Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission for Culture, Science, Youth, Sports, and the Media) and Tatiana Puiu (Freedom House)). Members of the group, which will begin its work in early June, are: Corina Cepoi (Internews), Eugeniu Ribka (Electronic Press Association APEL), Ion Bunduchi (APEL), Vasile Stati (APEL), Sanda Sandu (Information and Documentation Center on NATO in Moldova), Petru Macovei (Association of Independent Press), Dumitru Tira (Realitatea Media Group), Oleg Postovanu (“Lawyers for Human Rights” Public Association), Nadine Gogu (Independent Journalism Center), Dorin Pavelescu (“Casa Media Plus”), Petru Jelihovschi (“General Media Group Corp”), Artur Corghencea (PRO TV), Olga Bordeianu (Teleradio-Moldova public broadcaster), Veaceslav Munteanu (“Veacheslav Munteanu” lawyer’s office), Evghenii Sergheev (“TV Comunicatii Grup” LLC), Irina Tuceacov (Starnet company), members of the Parliamentary Commission for Culture, Education, Science, Youth, Sport, and the Media, and members of the Broadcasting Coordinating Council.

The EU-Moldova Parliamentary Association Committee meets twice a year, and its third meeting was held on March 31 in Brussels.