ACC will monitor the dispute between the manager and employees at “Euro TV Chisinau” channel

The Audiovisual Coordinating Council (ACC) will continue monitoring the dispute between the manager and certain employees at the “Euro TV Chisinau” channel. The Council seeks to summon the administration Council in an attempt to formulate solutions to this internal conflict. The situation was examined at the ACC’s extraordinary session dated Monday, January 22, as a result of many complaints of certain employees at the channel, claiming the existence of censorship on the part of the institution’s manager Vasile Nastase. At the ACC session, chief editor of the news desk at “Euro TV Chisinau” Dina Pripa has presented more examples in which, as she claims, Nastase had interfered in the news included in the newscast. Some of them were left at the mercy of the manager’s emendation, while the others were suspended. Ecaterina Stratan, presenter of the TV show “Serving the Community”, has also accused Nastase of interfering in the editorial policy of the programme, which was suspended later. Stratan qualified this as meddling and blatant censorship. Vasile Nastase stated in turn that before his appointment as interim director, “Euro TV Chisinau” was a politicised channel, and he did not succeed in depoliticising it entirely within one month. Nastase has denied the allegations of censorship, mentioning that it is all about the editorial policy. “There is no conflict at the Euro TV, but there are just certain employees that represent 2-3%, who either do not want to work or do not have the required skills”, Nastase stated. ACC head Corneliu Mihalache said that the Broadcasting Code stipulates that the regulation authority has no right to interfere in the editorial policy of the radiobroadcasters. “Thus, it is ascertained the presence of an evident conflict between the management and employees. Yet, especially now, when “Euro TV” is in the process of reorganisation, ACC could not remain indifferent to the situation, even if there are no legal grounds to take action”, Mihalachi said. As ACC member Valeriu Frumusachi says, the respective situation is a complicated one. “On the one hand, some say that there is no censorship and that ACC can not interfere, on the other hand, the public understand that something going on”. Another member of the Council, Constantin Rotaru, stated that “Antena C” and “Euro TV” employees’ only guilt was that they made good programmes, while the dismissal of the two directors was a groundless and wrong gesture. At the same time, he asserts that what is happening at “Euro TV” is an internal matter, and its solution must be found within the staff. He made an appeal to Nastase to change his attitude, so as to come to an understating with the whole team for a closer cooperation. Vasile Nastase was appointed as interim manager of the TV channel on December 15, one day after the directors of “Antena C” and “Euro TV Chisinau” had been dismissed by the vote of the communist and Christian democrat councillors. A number of members of the staff have qualified the decision as illegal and announced they would not recognise the new director.