Romania

[RO] Modification of the Audiovisual Law

IRIS 2014-7:1/29

Eugen Cojocariu

Radio Romania International

The Senate (upper Chamber of the Romanian Parliament) on 3 June 2014 approved the Draft Law on the modification of Art. 86 of the Legea Audiovizualului nr. 504/2002 cu modificările şi completările ulterioare (Audiovisual Law no. 504/2002 with further modifications and completions). The decision of the Senate is final. The Draft Law has been approved by the lower Chamber (the Chamber of Deputies) on 11 February 2014 (see IRIS 2010-1/36, IRIS 2011-4/31, IRIS 2011-7/37, IRIS 2013-3/26, IRIS 2013-6/27, IRIS 2014-1/37 and IRIS 2014-2/31).

According to the Draft Law, the modification of Art. 86 is meant to precisely transpose the Audiovisual Media Service Directive 2010/13/EU into the Romanian legal system and to ensure free access of broadcasters to events of high public interest.

The new version of Art. 86 (1) of the Audiovisual Law stipulates that any broadcaster under the jurisdiction of Romania or another EU member state has access on a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory basis to events of high interest to the public transmitted exclusively by a broadcaster under Romanian jurisdiction, with a view to making short news items, in compliance with Art. 85, which sets detailed requirements for the use of short reports.

The new version of Art. 86 (2) states that for the broadcasters under the jurisdiction of the same EU member state as the broadcaster that has obtained exclusive rights to the event, the access intended for the production of short news items has to be provided to the respective broadcaster.