The broadcasters and distributors of media services that are within the jurisdiction of the Republic of Moldova are obliged to adjust their audiovisual program services and offers of retransmission services to the new audiovisual norms by February 12, which is within one month of the publication of the relevant law in the Official Gazette. By February 9, the broadcasters must notify the Broadcasting Coordination Council (BCC) of the made changes. A decision to this effect was taken in the January 15 meeting of the BCC, IPN reports.

Under the changes made to the Broadcasting Code, the broadcasters and distributors of media services that are within the jurisdiction of the Republic of Moldova will ensure the protection of consumers of information from possible misinformation or manipulation attempts from abroad. The law allows for the retransmission only of news, feature, military and political radio and television programs produced in the EU member states, the U.S., Canada and in the states that ratified the European Convention on Transfrontier Television. The broadcasters will present their adjusted general conception of program services for approval by February 9, 2018.

The BCC also decided that the broadcasters and distributors of media services will be monitored to see how they obey the provisions of the new law in the course of 2018. For violations of the new audiovisual norms, the law stipulates penalties in the form of fines of 40,000 to 70,000 lei. The fine for repeated violations will be 70,000 to 100,000 lei. The withdrawal of the broadcast license is the ultimate penalty.

The decree to promulgate the law to amend and supplement the Broadcasting Code was signed by Speaker of Parliament Andrian Candu as acting President of Moldova on January 10. It happened after the Constitutional Court ascertained the circumstances that justified the suspension of President Igor Dodon from office on January 5.