Moldova must set a deadline by which the state press should be denationalized, Eugeniu Rabca, jurist expert for the Association of Independent Press (API), said at the Press Club’s meeting “Denationalization of the Print Media in Moldova”, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to the expert, January 1, 2011 could be a reasonable deadline by which the founders or co-founders of periodicals should part with them. Rabca said that a bill on the denationalization of press is being drafted. The bill provides for several methods for reorganizing a state-owned publication. “I consider that denationalization by investment contests on the basis of individual projects is the best privatization method,” the jurist said. Some of the publications could be transformed into ‘official gazettes’, where the district, municipal or local authorities could publish acts and announcements. This could be a solution for the publications that have not found an investor. According to Rabca, the key aim of the denationalization of press is to guarantee the freedom of expression and the access to information - problems faced by Moldova. Also, the denationalization would contribute to ensuring the editorial independence of periodical publications. According to Tatiana Kotiujinskaia, the president of the Association of Media Jurists of Ukraine, corporate social responsibility could stimulate the process of denationalizing the print media in Moldova. “The content of the newspapers should be dictated by social responsibility towards the public and not by the authorities or the business,” Tatiana Kotiujinskaia said. The Press Club is organized by the Independent Journalism Center (CIJ), the Committee for the Freedom of the Press and the Association of Independent Press, with the financial support of the Global Conflict Prevention Pool of the UK Government.