Licenses of radio and TV stations cannot be withdrawn without court decision
- 06.12.2012 17:59
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A radio station or TV channel cannot be deprived of license in the absence of a court decision to this effect. The Constitutional Court Thursday pronounced on a challenge, saying the Broadcasting Coordination Council’s decisions to suspend or withdraw the license cannot take effect immediately, Info-Prim Neo reports.
The Court examined the matter based on the challenge of Communist MP Sergiu Sarbu, who asked verifying the constitutionality of a number of changes made to the Broadcasting Code. In particular, in April the Parliament adopted amendments, which say that the Council’s decisions to penalize a radio or TV station come into force when approved.
The Constitutional Court ruled that this provision is partially constitutional. The first three of the five types of penalties that the Council can impose – warning, fine and banning of advertisements – can take effect immediately, while the last two – suspension and withdrawal of license – only after the court passes a relevant decision.
Sergiu Sarbu has told Info-Prim Neo that the Constitutional Court’s decision will be invoked at the European Court of Human Rights in the case concerning the withdrawal of the license of the private TV channel Nit.
