New code of audiovisual media services adopted in Moldova

Chisinau, 18 October /MOLDPRES/ - The new draft Code of audiovisual media services of Moldova today was adopted in the final reading with the votes of 53 MPs.    

The document was subjected to public consultations and decision-makers established that the budget of the national public provider of media services will be made up of subsidies from the state budget and from its own incomes. The state budget subsidies will be annually established in the state budget law, representing the volume of subsidies from the state budget for the previous year, indexed with the consumer price index from the last budgetary year fully carried out.   

The media services public provider’s own incomes will come, as case may be, from the sums collected from audiovisual communications issued at events of major importance, sums collected from the carrying out of the activity object, including incomes coming from the sale of programmes or copyrights from co-productions, donations, sponsorships and other legal incomes. The report on the fulfillment of the budget will be annually submitted by the director general of the concerned institution, will be approved by the Supervision Council and will be made public on the institution’s webpage. 

The new code provides for a string of new regulations on the principles of audiovisual communication, based on which all providers of media services should work, including: freedom of expression, editorial independence, ensuring the correct informing, protection of minors and persons with disabilities, gender balance, protection of the national audiovisual space, transparency of property, access to major events, protection of journalists, right to retort, etc.  

Separate chapters are focused on the organization and work of linear media services, mission of the public providers of media services, work of the national public provider, community providers of sound radio and TV services, distributors of media services, organization of non-linear audiovisual media services, commercial audiovisual communications, as well as the Audiovisual Council.    

The draft code of audiovisual media services of Moldova was elaborated by national and international experts, as well as by residents of the civil society within a working group. The latter was set up in June 2017, at an initiative by Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu, with the support of the European Union’s and Council of Europe’s Joint Project, Promoting Media Freedom and Pluralism in Moldova. The technical assistance is provided to the group’s members by Freedom House, Internews and the U.S. Embassy in Moldova.     

(Reporter A. Zara, editor M. Jantovan)