The European Union follows how all the state institutions and bodies work in the Republic of Moldova. Justice should be independent, not selective, while the institutions should be functional and independent, the Head of the EU Delegation to Moldova Peter Michalko stated in an interview for IPN.
The EU ambassador referred in particular to the regulatory institutions, including those that work in the audiovisual, anti-monopoly and other areas. “A relevant example is that of the Central Election Commission. There were moments in the past when the independence of this was questioned. Everyone remembers the situation after the elections held in Chisinau in 2018, when the citizens of Chisinau could not have the mayor they elected,” stated Peter Michalko.
As regards justice, the European official said it is very important to exclude suspicions of selective attitude that can lead to the non-observance of the right to a fair trial in inappropriate conditions for the people who are in the institutions of the justice system, including penitentiaries, concerning the respect for the human rights and freedoms.
As to the mass media, Peter Michalko assured that the existence of independent media, the state of free press, the observance of the people’s right to be informed are priorities for the EU. “We know that this is a precondition for any healthy society. This is the experience of the European continent following the fall of the totalitarian regimes that fully controlled the information. When the countries returned to the democratic system, the existence of free press was a necessary conditions for this. For the standards of democracy to be respected every day, the existence of free and independent press is a necessity as the people make a choice each day. Society should be informed, based on the pluralism of information and on objective information. Conditions should exist for the purpose,” stated the official.
According to him, the developments witnessed in Moldova during the last few years in this sector weren’t very positive. The newspapers that existed ten years ago now disappeared for a number of reasons, especially those that limited the conditions of the existence of independent press in the Republic of Moldova. “If we speak about TV channels and electronic media, the access to the advertising market for these was limited. We hear about the creation of a cartel that limits access primarily to the independent and smaller ones, but these are important voices in society in informing the citizens, whose access to the advertising market is restricted and this limits their possibility of surviving. These definitely cannot be considered positive development and this would limit society’s possibilities to develop and educate the citizens amid pluralism of opinion, with access to information,” stated Peter Michalko.
He noted that these aspects are very important and the European Union will continue to support the free press and to implement projects that pursue such a goal and journalists who work for the media as it is more than economic survival. It also goes to society’s health.
