The Parliament Approves the Draft Law on Dismissal of Members of the BC and Other Institutions in the Final Reading

The draft law stipulates the Parliament’s right to dismiss the members of the BC or other authorities if their activity is considered to be inappropriate for their obligations, prerogatives, or duties.

The project was examined without a question and answer session.

Previously, media experts criticized the deputies’ initiative, mentioning for Media Azi that the government could use it in order to modify the composition of the council in its own favor. According to the media expert Aneta Gonta, it cannot be ruled out that the deputies’ suggestions could be caused by political interests. “I believe the suggested changes do not really improve the quality of the BC, but they are made so that the authority could change the composition in its favor. However, we would like to have the BC members appointed in a responsible way and acting in the public interest, and the current legislation allows it,” Aneta Gonta also affirms.

Cristina Durnea, legal advisor at the Independent Journalism Center, considers that, “in such a situation, however, the deputies’ suggestions raise numerous concerns in relation to the independence of the Broadcasting Council. The responsibility combined with a poorly devised legal mechanism can make the BC serve exclusively to the political forces which hold the Parliamentary majority.” “From the practical point of view, it would mean that the BC members whom the authorities consider to be ‘unsuitable’ will be replaced every now and then,” Cristina Durnea emphasizes.