PACE report: Media in Moldova remains one of the sectors that needs to go a long way to meet European standards

The media in Moldova remains one of the sectors, which still need to go a long way in order to meet European standards. Reforming the legislation is certainly important, but not enough; more than anywhere else, reforms in the media sector are a matter of political culture and attitude. They also require a high degree of professionalism. Neither of these are yet present in Moldova to an extent which would allow the media to perform their essential function in a democratic society, that of a public watchdog, the Monitoring Committee of the Council of Europe said in its draft report on Moldova’s commitments and obligations to CoE. According to the report, one of the greatest legislative achievements of 2006 is the adoption of a new Audiovisual Code. Its draft was elaborated by the Presidential coalition PCRM-PPCD and received a very critical appraisal by the OSCE and Council of Europe experts. They were concerned, in particular, by the possibility of the government, or the governmental alliance, to exert undue influence and control over the Coordination Council of the Audiovisual (CCA) and through it over all broadcasters, the Internet and especially TRM. However, the adopted version has taken into account some criticisms and contains some improvements compared to the draft. At the same time, the alignment with European standards was considered as incomplete and sometimes erroneous. The Monitoring Committee also notes that the designation of the 9 members of the Coordination Council of the Audiovisual (CCA) did not go without controversy either: media professionals and NGOs alike criticised the procedure for lack of transparency and for applying political, rather than merit principles (all the members are formally proposed by the civil society). Of the nine appointed CCA members, five were openly supported by the PCRM, three by the PPCD and one by the Democratic Party (PD). At the same time, well-known specialists in the field of broadcasting, proposed by respected media NGOs were not considered. The restructuring of the state channel TeleRadio Moldova (TRM) into a national public service broadcaster has been a difficult and sometimes dramatic exercise, as well as a major source of concern, as this was narrated in our previous reports. Its operation can hardly be qualified as one of a genuine public service, rather than state broadcaster. The authorities must accept their share of responsibility and reaffirm the institution's presumed editorial independence. What is needed is clear political determination to remedy this state of affairs and a strong message to TRM that censorship and self-censorship are a thing of the past. In this respect, the designation of the Supervisory Board of TRM is of crucial importance. The composition of the Board was voted by Parliament on 28 December 2006; it appears that similarly to the procedure followed for the CCA members, political considerations prevailed. If this is indeed the case, TRM would have missed a remarkable opportunity to enhance its independence. The report will be heard by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on Tuesday, October 2. An official Moldovan delegation headed by Speaker Marian Lupu will be in Strasbourg to attend the hearing.