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On 7 November 2002 the Albanian Parliament unanimously decided to suspend the ongoing licensing process for new private radio and television until March 2003. During this period a map of frequencies for radio and television broadcasting will be prepared, so no new licenses will be awarded, nor will the expansions of broadcasting zones by currently operating radio and television stations be authorized. The decision follows new amendments to Law No. 8410 of 30 September 1998 "On Public and Private Radio and Television in the Republic of Albania" by Law No. 8969 of 7 November 2002, creating a legal...

A number of Member States of the Council of Europe have either signed or ratified treaties of relevance to the audiovisual sector since the publication in IRIS 2002-5 of the table of signatures and ratifications of such treaties. - On 14 May, the Netherlands became the eighth country to accede to the European Convention on the Legal Protection of Services based on, or consisting of, Conditional Access (see IRIS 2000-9: 3). Having signed this Convention on 24 January 2001, Romania proceeded to become the first country to ratify it on 26 August 2002. The Convention will enter into force upon ratification...

In the last few months three decisions relating to protection of copyright were released. The cases concerned the complaints of the association Albautor, the only private collecting society for the broadcasting sector in Albania, and the Qendra Kombetare e Kinematografise (National Center of Cinematography), a state body overseeing cinematographic production and distribution, concerning the payment of copyright fees. On 21 December 2001 the Court of Tirana - in a criminal case - sentenced the private broadcasting company "Media Vision" and imposed on it a penalty of about EUR 15,000. The decision...

On 4 April 2002, an opposition parliamentary group called for the dismissal of the Keshilli Drejtues i Radiotelevizionit Publik Shqiptar (Directional Council of the Albanian Public Radio and Television - KD i RTSH), and for it to be replaced. The request came after a bitter parliamentary debate over the Annual Report 2001, which was presented by the Directional Council. The KD i RTSH consists of 15 members, all independent intellectuals, who are elected by Parliament. The Directional Council elects the main directors of public radio and television, sanctions and controls all their activities,...

The National Council of Radio-Television, the state authority that licenses and monitors the activities of private radio and television broadcasters in the Republic of Albania, decided on 15 March 2002 to declare invalid the licenses of 30 private broadcasters, and temporarily suspended the licenses of 20 other private broadcasters. The Council took these measures because the radio and television broadcasters thus penalised had not paid their fees as provided for by law no. 8410 of 30 September 1998 "On private radio and television in the Republic of Albania". (see also IRIS 2002-2: 13) According...