Activity Details (ID# 7532)

Activity Synopsis

The objective of the seminar was to review and discuss a number of topical questions concerning the electronic media and their regulation in Bulgaria, as well as to offer points of comparison on how these questions are addressed in other European countries. The issues covered included (i) the advantages and drawbacks of applying a licensing or a registration procedure for the authorisation of broadcasting services, (ii) possible measures to secure the transparency of ownership of the electronic media and to limit concentrations (both monomedia and multimedia, horizontal and vertical) in order to preserve pluralism in the media and (iii) the value of granting the power to issue delegated regulation to broadcasting regulatory authorities and the possible limitations/safeguards which should apply for the sake of transparency and accountability of these authorities. 

Unfortunately, the presentations delivered by the Council of Europe experts did not raise many questions/requests for clarification from the audience. Ultimately, the seminar turned into a series of formal presentations without any in-depth discussion. This may be due to the fact that there is already an agreement among interested parties in Bulgaria on the questions raised by some of the topics covered during the seminar. Another explanation may be that, coming from different sectors with different interests, the participants did not want to openly express their views.

A final explanation may be that, although topical, the questions discussed during the seminar are still not at the forefront of the debate in Bulgaria. Other issues of particular concern seem to be that of the independence of the CEM and of Bulgarian National Television (its Director General was dismissed by the CEM some weeks before the seminar) and Bulgarian National Radio. On the question of the independence of Bulgarian National Television (BNT), concerns where expressed by employees of BNT on the fringe of the seminar, following the recent changes decided by the new Director General of BNT regarding the organisation of the company. An important step in this respect will be the decisions that the Bulgarian Supreme Administrative Court will take following the complaints which have been lodged with the Court regarding the dismissal of the former Director General of BNT (a decision by the Court is expected on 28 June) and the appointment of his successor, on the grounds that the CEM did not motivate its decision and that the competition procedure was violated (the Court should decide on this matter later).

Another important question concerns the revision of the Bulgarian Law on Radio and Television. On this latter point, a visit by the Chairperson of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly on the eve of the seminar made it possible to confirm that the Bulgarian authorities will call upon the assistance of the Council of Europe for the revision of the Law in due course, once a new draft law has been drawn up on the basis of preparatory work under way under the aegis of the Bulgarian Media Coalition. This preparatory work should in principle be finalised by the end of July 2004. The formal preparation a new draft law should then be undertaken by the relevant public authorities.


 

Members and employees of the Bulgarian Council for the Electronic Media, Parliamentarians, representatives of the electronic media and their professional organisations in Bulgaria 

Mr Sigve Gramstad, Director General, Norwegian Media Ownership Authority (Norway)
Mr Christophoros Christophorou, Media expert, former Director of the Cypriot Radio and Television Authority (Cyprus)

 

Christophe Poirel, Head of Media Division, DG II