The Association of Independent Press (API), together with the Independent Journalism Center and the Electronic Press Association, will soon launch a study to analyze the way the government fulfilled the promises made after 2009. “We will assess the fulfillment of the promises included in the government programs so as to see what was done in reality,” API executive director Petru Macovei said in an interview for Radio Free Europe, IPN reports.

Petru Macovei said the government made very clear commitments as regards the stimulation of the economic development of the mass media. But no such measures have been yet taken. The promise to adopt a new Broadcasting Code wasn’t fulfilled either. The document was submitted to Parliament in 2011 and went through all the relevant international appraisals, but became a legislative initiative only in 2014.

“Regretfully, the government made a mistake in 2010, when it modified the Broadcasting Code and allowed a person to hold up to five frequencies. We now see the consequences of this mistake. The media market in Moldova is very small and many important TV channels, with national coverage or with great regional coverage, are concentrated in the hands of one owner or one person who is supposedly the owner,” stated Petru Macovei.

In the same connection, the API executive director said the lack of transparency is the main problem faced by the mass media in Moldova. Even if the government programs provided that changes will be made to the relevant legislation, nothing was done. Civil society put forward bills, but the political vote in Parliament is delayed and there is no wish to implement these provisions.