Romania
[RO] Initiatives to modify the Audiovisual Law
IRIS 2018-6:1/30
Eugen Cojocariu
Radio Romania International
More initiatives to modify the Audiovisual Law no. 504/2002 with further modifications and completions were or are discussed in the Romanian Parliament (see inter alia IRIS 2013-3/26, IRIS 2014-1/37, IRIS 2014-7 /29, IRIS 2014-9/26, IRIS 2015-10/27, IRIS 2016-2/26, IRIS 2016-10/24, IRIS 2017-1/30, IRIS 2017-7/28).
The Romanian Senate (upper chamber of the Parliament) rejected on 19 February 2018 a proposed combined modification of the Law no. 148 of July 26, 2000, regarding the advertising and of the Law no. 504/2002 on the audiovisual. The decision of the Senate was final. The draft law had been approved by the Chamber of Deputies (lower chamber of the Parliament) on 28 June 2016. According to the initiators, the draft law was intended to limit the ads for gambling, because of the possible addiction to these games especially of young people.
According to a new proposed Article 131 to the Law no. 148/2000, the advertisement for gambling should be permitted only inside spaces specially designed for this kind of activity or in magazines addressed to gamblers. The initiators had also proposed a new paragraph (9) after Article 29 (8) of the Law no. 504/2002 on the audiovisual, according to which the audiovisual commercial communications intended for gaming is forbidden.
On the other hand 55 Romanian MPs coming from all the political groups tabled on 12 March 2018 a draft law for the modification and completion of the Audiovisual Law. They proposed to add a new paragraph (4) to the Article 421 of the Audiovisual Law, according to which, in order to ensure the right of access to the audiovisual media services of the hearing impaired, the programs of television programs with national and local coverage will ensure the Romanian subtitling of the Romanian audiovisual works, such as cinematographic films or films made for television - series and documentary films.
The initiators declared that in Romania there are 30,000 of deaf or hearing impaired persons, who have to be protected and offered equal access to social life as the people without disabilities have. The draft law is in line with the UN Convention on the rights of people with disabilities, ratified by Romania in 2011, added the initiators.
References
- The Propunere legislativă pentru modificarea şi completarea Legii nr.148 din 26 iulie 2000, privind publicitatea precum şi a Legii nr.504/2002 a audiovizualului
- Draft law for amending and completing the Law no. 148 of July 26, 2000, regarding the advertising and the Law no. 504/2002 on the audiovisual
- The Propunere legislativă pentru modificarea şi completarea Legii audiovizualului nr. 504/2002
- http://www.cdep.ro/proiecte/2018/000/80/9/pl137.pdf
- Draft Law on the modification and completion of the Audiovisual Law no. 504/2002
Related articles
IRIS 2017-7:1/28 [RO] Modification of the Audiovisual Law concerning television advertising
IRIS 2014-1:1/37 [RO] Rejection of Audiovisual Law Modifications
IRIS 2014-9:1/26 [RO] Modifications of the Audiovisual Act
IRIS 2014-7:1/29 [RO] Modification of the Audiovisual Law
IRIS 2015-10:1/27 [RO] Rejected modifications of the Audiovisual Law
IRIS 2016-10:1/24 [RO] Modification of Audiovisual Law underway
IRIS 2017-1:1/30 [RO] Modifications of Audiovisual Law: promulgation vs rejection
IRIS 2016-2:1/26 [RO] Digital TV transition and completion of the Audiovisual Act
This article has been published in IRIS Legal Observations of the European Audiovisual Observatory.