Experts plead in favour of instituting moratorium on the reorganization of municipal stations

The participants in the roundtable “The situation of municipal stations “Antena C” and “Euro TV Chisinau” pleaded in favour of instituting a moratorium on the provisions of the Audiovisual Code which stipulates the necessity or reorganizing the 2 stations. The municipal stations “Antena C” and “Euro TV Chisinau” organized a roundtable with the media experts, MPs, and representatives of the international organisations on Wednesday, December 13. The problem of the two municipal stations and the decision of the Chisinau Municipal Council were discussed within the meeting. According to some participants the most acceptable solution would be instituting a memorandum for a 1-2 year period, and meanwhile to examine thoroughly the situation in order to find the best solution or eventually to amend the Audiovisual Code. The experts who pleaded in favour of this solution were Stefan Uratu, the chairman of the Moldovan Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, Petru Chiriac, the chairman of Trade Unions Confederation, the MP Valentina Cusnir etc. The directors of the two institutions, Vasile State and Arcadie Gherasim said they proposed alternative reorganization projects but they were not taken into consideration, which proves hidden interests. The representatives of several political parties, who participated in the meeting, also tackled the interest of the government to privatize the two stations and to annihilate in this way the independent press. The counsellor of the parliamentary faction “Moldova Noastra” Alliance, Victor Osipov stated that the Audiovisual Code was violated when the decision on the reorganization of the two stations was voted. According to him, the Code stipulates that ACC has to recommend mechanisms in what concerns the reorganization of the local public broadcasting stations within two months from the approval of the Code and the local authorities must issue decisions on the reorganizations within 3 months. So it would have been correct if CMC waited for the recommendations of the ACC. From the point of view of the Observers Council, the decision of the CMC of November 30 is illegal and “the responsibility belongs to ACC who must implement this Code”, Osipov added. Several speakers mentioned about the necessity of undertaking concrete measures in order to support the activity of the 2 stations. The extraordinary meeting, where the alternative project on the reorganization of the two stations will be discussed, will take place on Thursday, December 14 at 10.00.