The Initiative of Making the Ministry of Justice Responsible for the Media Sector Suggested for Public Consultations

The authors of the document remark that, currently, there is no central authority at the governmental level to ensure implementation of the governmental policy in the sphere of media broadcasting services and press, though the executive power is one of the main stakeholders in drafting legislation and also has the right of legislative initiative. Therefore, the representatives of the Ministry of Justice suggest adding “media broadcasting services and press” to their list of competences.

“In addition to these considerations, it should be kept in mind that breaching freedom of opinion and expression the activities of broadcasting media, periodicals, and news agencies are based upon is one of the basic reasons for condemning the Republic of Moldova at the European Court of Human Rights, which is the reason why developing and promoting policies in this sphere and monitoring its perception in society and by foreign development partners should be taken care of with increased caution and a permanent analysis of the entire legislative framework on human rights and freedoms, as well as continuous legislative evolutions in the other states; this mission can be efficiently assumed by the Ministry of Justice,” the published document states.

By adopting this project, the authors intend to reduce the number of legislative initiatives “obtained from various authors/entities vested with the right of legislative initiative, which have only an indirect bearing upon the sphere of broadcasting media services and press, and which can often generate a regulatory “chaos” and discrepancies of various provisions in this field.” Besides, the officials state they intend to increase the quality of regulatory acts in the sphere of broadcasting media services.

A number of institutions have to comment upon the document and present their opinions, including the State Chancellery, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure, the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Research, the Broadcasting Council, the National Anticorruption Center, and the Independent Press Association.

The document was announced for approval and public consultation at the meeting of the secretaries general held on May 20.