The nongovernmental organizations of the mass media sector express their concern about the State Chancellery’s intention to increase rental for the media outlets based in publicly owned buildings and ask to urgently intervene so as not to allow this to happen, IPN reports.

In a public call, the media NGOs note the General Division for the Management of the Government’s Buildings issued the media outlets that rent offices in the Press House with a letter, informing them about the intention to increase the rental calculation coefficient for the Press House as of May 1, 2021. The editorial offices were invited to the meeting of the negotiation commission and were warned that the non-attendance of the meeting will be considered acceptance of the proposed price.

The signatories express their concern about this intention of the State Chancellery and call on the acting Prime Minister Aureliu Ciocoi to intervene to prevent a rise in hire charges as an eventual rise will worsen further the financial situation of the media outlets that were significantly affected by the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The media NGOs say the Government didn’t approve any measure of economic support for the media sector in times of a pandemic, as the governments of other European states did, but intends to increase rental. Such an approach is unacceptable in the current conditions and should be abandoned.

The call was signed by the Association of Independent Press, the Independent Journalism Center, Acces-info Center, the Electronic Press Association, the Committee for the Freedom of the Press, the Journalistic Investigations Center, RISE Moldova, Media-Guard Association and the Association of Environmental and Eco-Tourism Journalists.