The period during which the public institutions must offer the journalists the requested information of public interest will be decreased from 15 working days to 10 calendar days. Parliament voted a bill to this effect in the first reading in its July 28 sitting, IPN reports.

The head of the parliamentary commission on mass media Vladimir Hotineanu said that following an approach from the Independent Journalism Center, a group of MPs submitted a bill to facilitate the access to information, to reduce the timeframes for providing information and to make the punishment for refusing to provide access to information harsher. These periods in the European states are shorter than in Moldova.

The initiative also stipulates that the refusal to provide information or an official document is explained and communicated within 5 calendar days of the registration of the request for information.

The violation of the legal provisions on access to information or petitioning is fined 100 to 150 conventional units in the case of private individuals and 300 to 400 conventional units in the case of persons holding responsible posts. The presentation of erroneous data is penalized with a fine of 400 to 500 conventional units in the case of persons holding responsible posts.