The Cabinet approved the bill to amend the Broadcasting Code so as to protect the national information area from external manipulation and propaganda and to strengthen the continuous monitoring powers of the Broadcasting Coordination Council, IPN reports.

Thus, Article 11 of the bill says the broadcasters and service provides will transmit national news and analytical programs in the amount of 100%, 80% of which will be in the Romanian language. It is also allowed broadcasting news and political-analytical programs produced in the EU, the U.S. and the states that ratified the European Convention on Transfrontier Television. In this respect, the Government recommended clearly formulating all the provisions so as to avoid ambiguity.

The new amendments to the Broadcasting Code provide for gradual penalties for the violation of the norms, namely fines of 30,000 to 50,000 lei, suspension of the broadcast license for a period of 30 days and withdrawal of the broadcast license. Prime Minister Chiril Gaburici asked holding public debates with representatives of local and regional TV channels, of the national TV channel Moldova 1 and the public channel of Gagauzia so as to thoroughly discuss the bill before it is submitted to Parliament.

Moldova ratified the European Convention on Transfrontier Television on December 19, 2002.