Antena C, Euro TV privatisation issue to be re-examined by City Council soon

The way the municipal radio and TV stations, Antena C and Euro TV Chisinau, were privatised will be discussed in one of the City Council’s next meetings, two leaders of factions in the Council told Info-Prim Neo. At the recent CMC meeting, on July 26, the leader of the Social-Democrat group Eduard Musuc proposed establishing a committee that would examine the legality of the two media institutions’ privatisation. His proposal didn’t earn the support of the council. The leader of the Moldova Noastra Alliance group, Pavel Caba told Info-Prim Neo that there was a previous arrangement between the councillors to prepare the issue for debate for the next meeting. The leader of the Democrat Party faction, Alexandru Tanase stated that first of all the administration had to be formed at the first meeting. “We must not confound organisational issues and a problem which is by itself important. It must be discussed, but not at the first meeting”, Tanase underlined. “PPCD believes that the privatisation of those two stations has been made correctly and there is nothing to discuss. If the committee is eventually created, PPCD will decide whether to take part in its works or not”, said Alexandru Corduneanu, the leader of the Christian-Democrat faction in the Council. Previously, the new mayor of Chisinau, Dorin Chirtoaca also told Info-Prim Neo he would verify the procedure by means of which the former municipal radio and TV stations were privatised. “There is a chance to rehabilitate the two media institutions if revealing certain illegalities in the privatisation process. We will make this effort for sure”, Chirtoaca stated. Antena C and Euro TV Chisinau were sold at the beginning of this year, following a decision adopted by the communist and Christian-democrat councillors. The privatisation in general and the privatisation procedure in particular was deplored by the civil society, politicians and representatives of diplomatic services. The decision has been disputed in court by a group of the stations’ staffers, and is currently examined in the Court of Appeals.