Representatives of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, Moldova’s Post Office and periodic press are to discuss a new model of contract for the distribution of newspapers and journals within a working group. The solution was proposed in public hearings staged by the Parliament’s commission on culture, education, research, youth, sport and mass media to discuss the state of the periodic press and obstacles to the printing and distribution of periodicals, IPN reports.
The commission’s chairman Vladimir Hotineanu said the problems related to the distribution of periodicals have been discussed a lot during the last few years and the City Hall’s decision to take away the newspaper kiosks placed in central Chisinau joined the existing problems.
Attending the hearings, the municipality’s representative said the kiosks in central Chisinau were removed in connection with the works to rehabilitate Stefan cel Mare Blvd and are to be placed back in accordance with the urban design project when the works are over. Journalists replied that the repair works have nothing in common with the relocation of kiosks as street traders now sell bananas in their place.
In the same connection, the representatives of periodicals said the traditional press suffers because of two reasons – subscription and delivery.
Petru Macovei, executive director of the Association of Independent Press, said Moldova’s Post Office has a very specific attitude even if it is a national operator responsible for the distribution of periodicals. It has a dominant position being a state-owned enterprise. Public policies that would take into account the interests of both sides are thus needed.
Alina Radu, director of the news newspaper “Ziarul de Garda”, said the papers create jobs without receiving something from the state and a strategy for promoting the newspapers of public interest is required.
For his part, Moldova’s Post Office director Sergey Nastas stated that the enterprise has 6,000 employees and three internal audits showed it annually suffers losses of 13 million lei from papers delivery. The situation at the enterprise now has improved as four years ago 70% of the delivered papers came back.
MP Vladimir Hotineanu said an earlier Government decision on the subsidization of the press was annulled because there were no funds in that period. Now the country’s economic situation is better and the press could be supported. The sides should become involved in a dialogue to negotiate a new type of contract for the distribution of periodicals as from next year.
