SKOPJE, 29.03.2011 – The main topic on the agenda of today’s session of the Broadcasting Council (BC) was how the media companies in Republic of Macedonia will be affected by the transposition of the European Audio-visual Media Services Directive. BC as one of the participants in the working group, tasked to draft the new Law on Electronic Media, gave a contribution by shaping the program standards, which will be part of the text of the new law. The BC working group, during this first phase of preparation of the law, prepared a draft version of one part of the law, which is available to the media.
The European Directive, transposed in a new Law for Electronic Media, is expected to create a space for development of new media platforms and non-linear media content, as well as to liberate certain segments in the sphere of commercializing and commercial communications.
However, the main aim of the new law, according to the BC President, Zoran Stefanoski, is to promote freedom of media, to provide an environment for truly independent media from the centers of economical and political power”. President Stefanoski assured the representatives of the media inclusion and transparency in the preparation of the new law in all of its phases.
The Head of the Programming Sector, Emilija Janevska, explained the reforms of the regulation of the commercial media, by mentioning the “product placement” as an example which the new law will treat as a legal advertising activity. The provisions of the new law will also provide possibilities for new advertizing forms, like virtual advertizing, interactive advertizing on the interactive platforms etc.
The BC formally submitted the concept document to the Ministry for Transport and Communications, as a Ministry, which is responsible of preparation of the new Law for Electronic Media. The BC will continue to actively and constructively participate in the working group, which drafts the text of the new law.