OSCE media freedom representative calls for broad public consultations on Albania's draft media law
VIENNA, 8 October 2008 - Miklos Haraszti, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, welcomed the decision of the Albanian authorities to postpone the adoption of a new Law on Radio and Television, and asked the Government to ensure broad and transparent consultations with all key stakeholders.
"International experience shows that new media freedom regimes serve their goal best if they are first thoroughly discussed, and ideally, fully accepted by all relevant political and civil society partners," he wrote in a letter to the Albanian decision-making authorities.
The new draft law was produced by the Parliamentary Committee on Media and Education in July. It aims to merge the existing Laws on Public and Private Radio and Television and on Digital Broadcasting.
"I welcome the fact that the Speaker of the Assembly and the Education and Public Information Means Committee have postponed the law's adoption and called for further consultations," said Haraszti.
"The draft fails to guarantee the independence of the National Council on Radio and Television and the Albanian Radio and Television. It also does not solve the problems with the current law, which have been identified in previous recommendations from my Office as well as by other international organizations, and which remain unchanged in the new draft. As a consequence, the current draft law does not comply with relevant OSCE recommendations."
Haraszti also asked the responsible stakeholders to resume drafting a comprehensive strategy for digital television in a consultative and co-operative manner, involving the media as well as media NGOs in the entire process.
"Albania now has a chance to address deficiencies in media regulation and not carry them over into the new digital media landscape," Haraszti added.
He also offered his office's expertise to assist Albanian authorities in finalizing the new law.