The MPs adopted the bill to transfer the national public broadcaster “Teleradio-Moldova” (TRM) back under the Parliament’s supervision, as it was until 2019. The MPs of the Bloc of Communists and Socialists and those of Șor Party voted against, IPN reports.

The mandates of all the members of the Supervisory and Development Board of TRM and of the company’s director general and deputy directors general end when the current law takes effect. The director general will be appointed by Parliament, at the suggestion of the Supervisory Board.

The communication and international relations service of the national public broadcaster “Teleradio-Moldova” issued a press release in which it makes reference to a letter signed by Noel Curran, Director-General of the European Broadcasting Union, who expressed his concern about the bill to amend the Code of Audiovisual Media Services. According to EBU, the amendments can lead to the political subordination of TRM’s administrative and supervisory bodies and to direct interference in the company’s editorial policy, representing a step backward in ensuring the autonomy and independence of TRM, which could be exposed to greater political pressure.

The letter was transmitted to the Parliament’s Standing Bureau and the commission on culture, education, research, youth, sport and the media. Asked about the letter’s content in the sitting, Speaker Igor Grosu said the Standing Bureau hasn’t yet received such a letter and, therefore, it could not be examined.