The Journalists Union of Moldova is launching a campaign aimed at gaining back the right to manage the complex “Casa Presei” (“Press House”). By October, the journalists will sign an appeal by which they will ask the Government, Parliament and the relevant parliamentary commission to return the complex to them.
In a news conference at IPN, the Journalists Union chairman Valeriu Saharneanu said that if the complex “Casa Presei” is given back to the Moldovan journalists, the Journalists Union will be able to carry out its statutory activities. Moldova is the only former Soviet country that does not have a building intended for the journalistic guild. The “Press House” that is now managed by the Government is in a deplorable state, while the offices that were earlier 90% occupied by media outlets are now occupied mainly by companies that rent the offices.
Valeriu Saharneanu stated that discussions on ceding back the building have been held with representatives of the state since 2009, but they didn’t produce results. The Moldovan journalists need a decent head office and work conditions. A journalists’ trade union may be created in Moldova, especially now that the Journalists Union of Moldova joined the Federation of Journalists of Romania “MediaSind”, which is a trade union organization representing the journalists. In the same connection, Valeriu Saharneanu said the current generation of journalists wants to create a material and financial stock for the future generations.
The acting president of the Journalists Union Petru Bogatu said the campaign was launched with the aim of creating a precedent. “We want a historical mistake to be repaired as the past privatization left many questions unanswered. During the Soviet Union, the people of arts were treated with contempt and were told that they do not have the right to property. We want to put things right,” he stated.
Since 1994, the complex “Casa Presei” has been managed by the Government of Moldova through the State Chancellery as state property for rent. The complex was built 40 years ago by order of the Central Communist Committee of Moscow.
