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Both documents were presented by Corneliu Mihalachi, MP representing the Democratic Party of Moldova.
The new Code of Audiovisual Media Services contains several provisions transposed from European directives on media services. Corneliu Mihalachi mentioned that the current legislation does not meet the challenges faced by broadcast media and is not harmonized with European Community legislation.
According to Mihalachi, the adjustment of the national legislation to European standards will guarantee the editorial independence of media outlets and media pluralism.
During debates, liberal MP Lilian Carp asked about the future of the current legislative provisions on the protection of information security and fight against propaganda by restricting the retransmission of information programs from the countries that have not ratified the European Convention on Transfrontier Television. Corneliu Mihalache said that the new document contains an article on protection of the national audiovisual space, including the banning of audiovisual programs that constitute hate speech.
The most criticism to the draft law were brought by Vlad Bătrâncea, MP representing the Party of Socialists. In his opinion, the requirements of the new document towards broadcasters are very tough, and many of them, especially regional stations, are not ready to meet them.
MPs from the Party of Communists were also skeptical about the need to adopt the Code in its present form. Communist Inna Șupac criticized the provisions of the Code which ban audiovisual programs that present totalitarian regimes, Nazi and communist, apologetically.
Vadim Pistrimciuc, MP of the Liberal Democratic Party, mentioned that this Code should avoid as much as possible the provisions that might favor certain players on the media market.
Media experts Eugeniu Rîbca and Ion Bunduchi, authors of the draft law, also attended the meeting and made clarifications to MPs’ questions.
Ion Bunduchi mentioned that the document was developed by taking into consideration the harmonization of the interests of all media players, and that local broadcasters were offered a smaller share of mandatory own content compared to national broadcasters.
The draft Code of Audiovisual Media Services and the National Concept of Media Development in the Republic of Moldova were developed within the parliamentary group that works to improve media legislation with the participation of local and international experts. The draft Code of Audiovisual Media Services will be sent for international expertise to the OSCE, the Council of Europe, and the European Union.
