Report, remarks for media

But the report also says that this law, which aimed to approach the domestic law to the European legislation, failed to give a procedure for appointing the regulatory authority members, and did not guarantee the independence of the Audiovisual Media Authority independence.

“In the freedom of speech sector, the law for the audiovisual media passed in March, by essentially improving the law for the audiovisual media in Albania. The law failed to offer a procedure for appointing the leaders of regulatory institution and for the public broadcaster, which would guarantee their independence.

The appointing procedure of the regulatory authority leaders, which is foreseen by law, does not fully guarantee their independence. The implementation of the digital broadcast strategy has halted due to a lawsuit filed by the broadcast operators. More efforts are needed for implementing the digital broadcast strategy on time, which has been scheduled to be complted on June 2015. More efforts are needed to free the illegally occupied frequences. The Audiovisual Media Authority still lacks of capacity, and the concerns about its independence remain. The editorial independence of the public broadcast ervice and the fee collection system have not improved”, the report says.

The Commission underlines the significance of implementing the labor right laws to journalists and covering them with regular work contracts. According to the report, the media is still being used for economic and political interests.

“Several cases of violence against journalists have been reported. The media is still being used as a tool to promote private and political economic interests. The public advertisement has not been regulated yet to guarantee transparency and to not discriminate with the funds. The lack of transparency in the media funding remains an important challenge. More efforts are needed, especially from the State Labor Inspectorate, to guarantee the implementation of work rights, especially the right of media employees to get covered by a regular agreement. Protection from arbitrary dismissals is key in preventing self-censorship. The capacity of journalists’ syndicates remains weak. More ethical standards and professionalism in journalism need to be improved. Privacy needs to be preserved when reporting a news, including the cases of minors and vulnerable groups. Further efforts are needed for guaranteeing that the complaints of reporters and readers are treated effectively and impartially”.

After reviewing the moratorium on lawsuits for slanders from government officials, the Commission concludes that “more efforts are needed for guaranteeing the implementation of amendments on slander, and more instructions are needed for defining damages to a reasonable level, especially by training the judiciary.

Top Channel