Skopje, 01.06.2015. – At a closing conference, by presenting the results and achievements of the EU-funded IPA TAIB 2009 Project, aimed at “Enhancing the Administrative Capacities of Telecom and Media Authorities for Efficient Regulation of New Digital and Multiple Play Services”, the Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services concluded all activities envisaged by this Project.
The present at the Conference were welcomed by Mr. Martin Klauke of the EU Delegation, who expressed his pleasure with the completed Project and the results and benefits achieved through it. Ms. Marta Arsovska-Tomovska, Deputy Minister of Information Society and Administration, held a greeting speech and thanked all the parties involved in the project, which is in correlation with the development strategy of electronic communications of the RM, and highlighted the excellent cooperation between the Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services (AAAVMS) and the Agency for Electronic Communications (AEC). With respect to strengthening the administrative capacities of the regulatory body in charge of telecommunications, the AEC Director, Mr. Robert Ordanovski, held a presentation, in which he stressed the enthusiasm with which they had started the project, as well as the activities they had realized and implemented.
The AAAVMS Director, Mr. Zoran Trajcevski Ph. D., presented a summary of the benefits, importance and the value of this project for the Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services, explaining each activity, analysis and research in particular, starting from the implementation of a quality management system, the preparation of a Methodology for Conducting Media Market Analyses – which produced an analysis of the market in a converged environment, the EU methodology concerning convergent media, the study that presented an overview of the regulatory measures and initiatives currently established at the European level, to the analysis of the existing situation in the country with regard to the protection of author’s and related rights in light of the development of new technologies and the Internet and their influence on the digital content protection. In this, Mr. Trajchevski stressed that the new Directive for Audiovisual Media Services sought from the regulators to stimulate activities towards adopting self-regulatory acts in particular areas, which resulted into a Self-regulation and Co-regulation Analysis that identified the areas of self-regulation and co-regulation in the country – areas that may be supported by the AAAVMS as a complementary form of regulation as well.
Also mentioned was the Draft Programme developed to encourage media literacy in the RM. As regards the part of the project dedicated to secondary legislation, he added that the project had provided the support needed for the preparation of 12 bylaws concerning the classification of the kinds of programmes, the definition of the programme service formats, the adoption of events of major importance, and many others.
The Conference was closed by Mr. Vojislav Milosevic, Implementation Director of the European Consulting Group – a company that implemented this project – who explained the ongoing process and underlined the importance of implementing such and similar projects.