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Media NGOs’ Call to MPs to Resume Consideration of the Legislative Package on Improving the Legal Framework on Media Activity

13 December 2019
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Media NGOs once again bring to the attention of MPs from the current Parliament the draft law on amending and supplementing the 7 important laws that directly or indirectly target the media activity. Note that it was developed by the Parliamentary Working Group on Improving the Media Legislation, and was registered with the Parliament on 26 July 2018, but it has been discussed neither in the parliamentary committees, nor in the plenary sessions so far.

The legislative package containing recommendations of Independent Journalism Center, Association of Independent Press and other media NGOs, includes amendments to the Law on Access to Information, Law on Freedom of Expression, Law on Personal Data Protection, Law on Petitions, Contravention Code, Law on State Secret and Law on Press. The amendments aim to improve the situation in the media and create better working conditions for journalists.

Thus, the draft law provides for reducing the period for delivering information of public interest to applicants, offering to media outlets facilities for personal data processing, defining the notion of ‘information of public interest’ and extending the list of providers of this information, amending some provisions on the State secret, introducing the public media register etc.

As early as in June, during a public meeting, members of the Parliamentary Committee for Culture, Education, Research, Youth, Sport and Mass-Media discussed the need to reconsider this draft law. Note that half a year is already gone, but the situation has not changed.

We urge MPs of the current Parliament to include this legislative initiative in their agenda and adopt it as soon as possible.
 

Independent Journalism Center
Association of Independent Press
Association of Electronic Press
Center for Investigative Journalism
Press Freedom Committee 
Association of Independent TV Journalists
‘Access-Info’ Center
RISE Moldova