PSDM says municipal broadcast stations should remain public

The Social Democrat Party (PSDM) expresses its concerns at the government’s attempts to liquidate the municipal audiovisual institutions “Euro TV Chisinau” and “Antena C”. According to a statement of the party, the Chisinau Municipal Council, controlled by the majority formed from representatives of PCRM and PPCD, elaborated decision drafts on reorganizing these institutions into private broadcasters. These drafts have been recommended by the Coordinating Council of Audiovisual, which is also controlled by PCRM and PPCD, the declaration adds. PSDM warns the public opinion and international bodies about the fact that the attempt of liquidating these institutions via their privatization has been disapproved earlier by the experts of the European Council. In case of reorganization into private broadcasters, they will no longer serve the interests of the community, but rather the interests of the power. The scheme applied by the power is similar to the case of former governmental newspapers “Nezavisimaia Moldova” and “Moldova Suverana”. Formal denationalization and the statute change of the publications did not result in their transformation into independent newspapers. All these illustrate the government’s intention to install the total control over the R. of Moldova’s mass-media before the general local elections in 2007, the declaration states. PSDM condemn the power’s attempts to subdue the entire mass media in the R. of Moldova, considering these practices as totalitarian, having the aim of installing a total control over the sources of information intended for citizens. The party asserts that these actions contravene the obligations of the R. of Moldova assumed in the process of its potential accession to the EU, not corresponding to citizens’ interests and damages Moldova’s image internationally. The Audiovisual Code has been approved by the Parliament in final reading on July 27, being in force since August 18, 2006. The fact that the Code does not regulate the activity of local public audiovisual institutions has been strongly criticized by both MPs and civil society representatives, who declared that it represents a monopolization attempt of this field by the actual government.