Czechia

[CZ] Draft Principles for a New Press Act

IRIS 1995-6:1/23

Andrea Schneider

Institute of European Media Law (EMR), Saarbrücken/Brussels

The Czech Government has submitted draft principles for a new press act to the relevant parliamentary committee. The new act is intended to replace the current Act No. 81/1966 on the periodical press and other mass media, as amended by Act No. 86/1990 of 28 March 1990.

While the amended act of 1990 essentially abolished the state's press monopoly, regulated freedom of the press and accelerated the registration procedure, the new bill modifies some of the rights and obligations applying to publication and dissemination of the periodical press.

Among other things, the bill defines the terms "periodical press" and "public dissemination", and specifies the obligations of publishers. Under the old procedure, application for registration had to be made 30 days in advance, and a decision given within 15 days. This is to be replaced by a new notification procedure: publishers will now be required to supply the Ministry of Education and Culture with information specified in the act on the day that the periodical in question first appears. The act also regulates the conditions applying to the right of reply and correction, as well as the content and scope of that right.