Concerned that the House of Press ‘Has Everything But the Press’, the Government Reduced the Rental Price for Media Outlets

The media outlets will be able to rent out space in the House of Press and other Government buildings at lower prices. The Secretary General of the Government, Andrei Spinu, signed an order to this end on Monday, 9 September 2019, according to a press release issued by the institution.

Spinu mentioned that many complaints from media representatives regarding the exaggerated rental prices and the fact that House of Press...has everything but the press were issued. "This order must be enforced and all the contracts reviewed within 30 days. This will make it possible for us to have, eventually, a free media enjoying no obstacles", mentioned the Secretary General during a meeting with the Government officials in charge of this field.

Thus, if until recently media outlets have rented out space at the highest market coefficient of 1.5, the order issued provides for this coefficient to be reduced down to 1.0.

The General Division for Government buildings administration is to amend, within 30 days, the contracts previously concluded with the media outlets.

Note that certain provisions regarding the reduction of the rental price of space in state-owned buildings for periodicals were also included in a draft law developed by the Parliamentary Group for the Improvement of Media Law. However, the Filip Government gave a negative opinion on the document and the Parliament rejected it on 28 July 2019.