Skopje, 5 March 2024 (MIA) – President Stevo Pendarovski signed Tuesday the Decree on the amendments to the Law on Audio and Audiovisual Media Services.

In a press release, Pendarovski’s Office said the Law clearly defines what a state media campaign serving the public interest on a national or local level represents. The amendments of the Law limit the budget, i.e., the amount of funds that can be allocated from the state Budget for campaigns on a national or a local level, it said.

“The Law stipulates a procedure in which a commission composed of representatives from the political parties of the government and the opposition on a parity basis, will play a central role. The Law also specifies the criteria on the basis of which broadcasters can apply, while also clearly defining the procedure for the selection of broadcasters which will air campaigns on a national or local level. This means that, as opposed to the practice in the past when VMRO-DPMNE’s Government arbitrarily decided how much money to provide and to which broadcasters, now the procedure is precisely regulated in terms of how the media will receive funds and how much they will receive for campaigns,” said the press release.

The President’s Office noted that the Law on the Amendment of the Law on Audio and Audiovisual Media Services was adopted in the Parliament without any submitted amendments by the opposition, which, it said, means that the opposition has no remarks over its contents.

It stressed that the majority of member states of the European Union have regulations that allow for public interest media campaigns to be run.

Photo: MIA Archive