Romania

[RO] Prorogation of the analogue radio switchover

IRIS 2021-7:1/23

Eugen Cojocariu

Radio Romania International

The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, promulgated on 13 May 2021 the Law on the approval of Government Ordinance No. 5/2019 for the extension of a term in order to ensure the continuity of public services of radio programs on the territory of the country. (see inter alia IRIS 2011-4/33, IRIS 2013-6/30, IRIS 2014-4/26, IRIS 2014-5/29, IRIS 2014-9/27, IRIS 2015-5/33, IRIS 2016-2/26, IRIS 2017-1/29, and IRIS 2019-4/30).

The President promulgated the Law on the approval of Government Ordinance No. 5/2019 for the extension of a term provided in article 2 (1) of Government Emergency Ordinance No. 18/2015 on establishing the necessary measures to ensure the transition from analogue terrestrial television to digital terrestrial television and the implementation of multimedia services at national level.

The object of the law is to extend, until December 31 2025, the term provided in Article 2 paragraph (1) of the Government Emergency Ordinance No. 18/2015 in order to ensure the continuity of public services of radio programs on the territory of the country, but also of the access to the broadcasted information for Romanians abroad.

GEO No. 18/2015 established that the rights to use the radio frequencies granted according to Law No. 504/2002, with the subsequent amendments and completions, for the provision by terrestrial radio of public broadcasting services, may be extended, on a temporary basis, until August 31 2019. The GO No. 5/2019 was adopted due to the fact that no measures were taken in time for the digital switchover of the radio programs in Romania.

The proposed measures strictly aim at extending the validity period of the license for the use of radio frequencies for terrestrial transmission of public radio programs in the long, medium, short and ultra-shortwave bands, from 31 August 2019 to 31 December 2025. The owner that transmits the public radio programs fulfills a public service consisting in ensuring the continuity of the right to information of the population at national level, stated the initiators of the draft law. The project was motivated by the need to avoid a legal gap and interruptions in the terrestrial broadcasting of the public radio programs and to offer the Romanian public the continuity of public radio programs, as well as guaranteeing the access to radio information for Romanians abroad.

The digital switchover in Romania is substancially delayed, both in terms of television and radio.


References

  • Proiect de Lege privind aprobarea Ordonanţei Guvernului nr.5/2019 pentru prorogarea unui termen prevăzut în art.2 alin.(1) din Ordonanţa de urgenţă a Guvernului nr.18/2015 privind stabilirea unor măsuri necesare pentru asigurarea tranziţiei de la televiziunea analogică terestră la televiziunea digitală terestră şi implementarea serviciilor multimedia la nivel naţional - Expunerea de motive
  • http://cdep.ro/proiecte/2019/500/30/2/em699.pdf
  • Draft Law on the approval of the Government Ordinance no.5 / 2019 for the extension of a term provided in art.2 paragraph (1) of the Government Emergency Ordinance no.18 / 2015 on establishing the necessary measures to ensure the transition from analogue terrestrial television to digital terrestrial television and the implementation of multimedia services at national level - Reason

  • Proiect de Lege privind aprobarea Ordonanţei Guvernului nr.5/2019 pentru prorogarea unui termen prevăzut în art.2 alin.(1) din Ordonanţa de urgenţă a Guvernului nr.18/2015 privind stabilirea unor măsuri necesare pentru asigurarea tranziţiei de la televiziunea analogică terestră la televiziunea digitală terestră şi implementarea serviciilor multimedia la nivel naţional - Forma pentru promulgare
  • http://cdep.ro/pls/proiecte/docs/2019/pr532_19.pdf
  • Draft Law on the approval of the Government Ordinance no.5 / 2019 for the extension of a term provided in art.2 paragraph (1) of the Government Emergency Ordinance no.18 / 2015 on establishing the necessary measures to ensure the transition from analogue terrestrial television to digital terrestrial television and the implementation of multimedia services at national level - Form for promulgation

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This article has been published in IRIS Legal Observations of the European Audiovisual Observatory.