There is a powerful geopolitical aspect in the process of drafting the new broadcasting code because this involves foreign experts financed with money donated by the U.S. Government and some of the international organizations close to NATO, Socialist MP Vlad Batrancea stated in the talk show “Direct access” on NTV channel, IPN reports.

The MP said particular persons from outside the county are trying to introduce geopolitical censorship in the Republic of Moldova so that the citizens do not have access to the media services to which they got used. Under the new broadcasting code, the Broadcasting Coordination Council will have more powers, including to withdraw licenses and to directly intervene in the editorial policy of TV channels and will thus exercise direct and legal control over TV channels. “This is dictatorship, censorship and a serious deviation from the international law norms. It is an attempt to introduce censorship in the interests of forces from outside the country,” stated the MP.

Jurist Fadei Nagacevschi said that under the new code, 50% of the content purchased by TV channels should be European products. The draft does not explain what freedom of expression is, what cases can be considered violation of the freedom of expression and who will assess these. “The content of the new broadcasting code is based on the environment securitization concept and balancing of the relations between the broadcasters and consumers of services, but the focus is yet on the anti-propaganda struggle. I think the goal is to remove the media services providers that are inconvenient to particular authorities from the market of the Republic of Moldova,” stated the jurist.

A bill called the Code of Audiovisual Media Services of the Republic of Moldova was registered in Parliament this March.