Editors of Chisinau newspapers discussed the legal drawbacks and solutions to develop the press as a business on Wednesday, April 23. The round-table has unfolded as part of a project implemented by the Independent Press Association (IPA), meant to modify the Moldovan legislation so as to let the press develop, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to project manager Petru Macovei, similar discussions will be held in Balti – for publishers operated in Moldova’s central and northern areas, and in Cahul – for the ones working in the central and southern areas. By fall, IPA will convene a national conference of newspaper editors from entire Moldova, to submit the Government and Parliament proposals to change the legislation. As from May, experts from the public and private sectors will set up a joint taskforce to elaborate proposals. IPA will start and mediate negotiations between newspaper publishers and state enterprise Posta Moldovei, which often acts to the detriment of editors, the latter ones accuse. The legal regulations hindering the printed publications’ development, the actual monopolization of the distribution, selected public funds granted to publications loyal with the authorities are but several obstacles on the way of the Moldovan media’s development pointed out by experts. IPA expert Eugeniu Rabca says the legislation does not provide for explicit, objective and impartial criteria, on the basis of which the direct, money subventions are granted to certain publications. As a rule, these are local newspapers created by district councils loyal with the ruling party. The speakers complain the law does not regulate the way of granting state advertising to newspapers, and think necessary to adjust the legislation on indirectly subsidizing the press, e.g. through some fiscal exemptions. The editor of newspaper Pro Consumator, Roman Mihaes, pleads to urgently modify art. 16 of the Civil Code concerning defamation and slander. According to Mihaes, the article should prevent freezing bank accounts in case of conflicts till a final verdict is issued. He suggests to establish a threshold of the amount of damages to be paid in such cases, especially if the newspaper publishes a denial or allows the plaintiff to reply. The project “Integrated efforts to improve the legal and the regulation frame of the economic activity of media” is part of the program “Strengthening the monitoring capacity of the Moldovan civil society”, implemented by the Educational Development Academy, with the technical assistance of IREX, funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation.