Parliament publishes draft Audiovisual Code of Moldova on its official website

The Moldovan parliament has published the draft Audiovisual Code of Moldova on its official website. The draft was worked out by Communist and Christian Democratic lawmakers and specialised commission. According to developers, the draft law aims to institute democratic functioning principles for audiovisual in Moldova, to ensure respect for rights of programme consumers. The draft establishes the legal basis of regulation of production, broadcast and/or rebroadcast of programmes via television and radio under jurisdiction of Moldova, functioning of public and private broadcasters, control of society on activity of audiovisual institutions. Speaker Marian Lupu told a news conference on March 29 that amendments to audiovisual legislation are a priority of the acting legislature. He noted that the parliament will examine the draft law next Thursday in the first reading and asked that the proposals and objections on this draft be tabled by Wednesday, when the specialised commission will hold a sitting. Asked to comment the draft law, Alexandru Dorogan chairman of the Electronic Press Association APEL, stated to Info-Prim Neo that he welcomes this much awaited draft because, as said in a communication on this document, „the present condition of audiovisual requires amendments and completions to legislation that regulates the field. Audiovisual institutions must be independent and they must not release biased information in their news programme and others.” It is too early for deep comments because the draft was recently published on the website, but it must be studied very carefully, he said. Dorogan noted that APEL will make an expertise of the document within 15 days, in line with the concept on cooperation between parliament and civil society, and it will table recommendations or proposals if needed be. He hoped that this period will be used for talks and public debates and added that this draft is important for a field that widely affects the entire society. The draft Audiovisual Code contains 9 chapters and 69 articles.