The European Union expects that any amendment to the Audiovisual Code will be based on broad consultations and will take place in a transparent and inclusive way, with the involvement of the media, civil society and other interested parties. Also, the best international practices and the people’s access to information should be taken into account, IPN reports.

“The swift adoption of amendments to the Audiovisual Code does not show that any of these principles is respected. Such a direct modification can leave the Republic of Moldova without any protection against disinformation and propaganda,” it is said on the Facebook page of the EU Delegation to Moldova.

The EU also says that it pays special attention to the situation of the media in Moldova, especially to the fight against misinformation, while the freedom of the press and pluralism are important elements of a democracy and they should be supported.

The MPs gave a first reading to the bill to amend and supplement the Code of Audiovisual Media Services on December 3, without the bill being presented by the authors. The draft law was criticized by media experts, who noted that this contains “dangerous interventions”.