Eight expert subgroups will work as part of the working group for improving the legislation on the mass media. The objectives for each subgroup and the deadlines for working out relevant documents were agreed in the July 6 meeting of the working group that was chaired by Speaker of Parliament Andrian Candu, IPN has learned from the legislative body’s press service.

Dumitru Lazur, media programs coordinator at the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau, said the working groups will consist of national and foreign experts who will coordinate the activity of the subgroups and will assist the members of the working group.

Subgroup No. 1 aims to draft a new Audiovisual Code by the end of December 2017. Subgroup No. 2 will think up a new law on advertising. Subgroup No. 3 will discuss proposals to amend and supplement draft laws on information security. Subgroup No.4 will work out the strategy for developing the Republic of Moldova by this yearend.

Subgroup No. 5 will examine bills concerning the access to information and protection of personal data. Subgroup No. 6 will draft amendments concerning the conduct of the media in the election campaign to the Election Code. Subgroup No. 7 will analyze the good practices in providing tax concessions to the mass media and will draft a new bill on state aid for periodicals or will review the draft law proposed by civil society. Subgroup No. 8 will draft a new law on the press (online and print media) or amendments and supplements to the current legislation by next April.

In the immediate future, the members of the working group will decide what thematic groups they form part of and each subgroup will work out the own plan of action. The meeting discussed and approved the regulations concerning the activity of the working group for improving the legislation on the mass media.

The working group for improving the legislation on the mass media is a communication platform and a mechanism of permanent cooperation between Parliament and representatives of the media, international institutions and media NGOs. The group was created on the initiative of Speaker Andrian Candu with support from the Joint EU/CoE Project “Promoting Media Freedom and Pluralism in the Republic of Moldova.