European MPs visit Top Channel

Mr. Martinez, Bostinaru and Mrs. Fayon visited Top Channel’s main offices, while the meeting with Mr. Kukan was held outside these premises, due to his busy agenda.

Mr. Kukan promised to visit Top Channel in his next visit to Tirana. During all these meetings, the MEPs and the TCH leaders discussed about the media freedom in Albania and all aspects of this problematic, more specifically about matters directly concerning Top Channel.

After being updated with the media freedom and the problematic of Top Channel, the European MPs underlined Albania’s need to reflect for creating an environment for a free and independent media, far from political pressures. They also declared that media freedom issues, especially Top Channel’s, have also been mentioned in the recent progress-report of the European Commission for Albania.

MEPs Bostinaru and Fayon have been deeply engaged in the media freedom issues. At the European Parliament, Bostinaru presented a petition for the media freedom, while Tanya Fayon, as a former journalist, is very active in matters related with the independence and freedom of the media.

MEP Eduard Kukan, member of the European People’s Party, was informed about the concerns that have been raised and the existing possibilities for finding a solution to the current problems.

In this meeting, Mr. Kukan treated the issues related with the new law for the media, which is being discussed in Parliament, and emphasized the need of the Parliament to hear and reflect together with the interest groups, the media themselves, and to pass this law with a wide consensus.

Friends of Top Channel, with whom has always existed an intensive, constant and direct contact, the European MPs expressed their readiness to protect the media freedom as an important aspect of a democratic society that aims EU integration.

A very nice meeting was also that with the vice President of the European Parliament, Migel Angel Martinez, a well known and important personality of the Spanish politics and the European left wing.

A fighter for the human rights, engaged with the media through many articles and opinions, Mr. Martinez has been imprisoned by the Spanish dictatorship of the Franco regime, to then turn into one of the most important exponents of the Socialist and Socialdemocrats in Europe.

Martinez has been President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the European Council in 1995, when Albania became a member.

The media freedom was also mentioned in the fourth meeting for the Stabilization and Association between Albania and the EU by MEP Victor Bostinary, who underlined the political pressure against Top Channel when made public the Ylli Pango scandal.

Top Channel