KAS MP SOE

Nearly 40 editors, representatives of print and electronic media, non-governmental organizations and a number of young journalists took part in a discussion about the development of media freedom and opinion pluralism in the Republic of Moldova. Keynote speaker was Erik Bettermann, director of Deutsche Welle. He spoke about the role and the responsibility of media in a democracy and answered numerous questions in the ensuing discussion.

Upon last year’s change of government, there has been a significant improvement in the conditions for media freedom and diversity of opinion in the small South East European country. The new four-party coalition of the Alliance for European Integration under the chairmanship of prime minister Vlad Filat has been steering a steady course toward democratization and association with the European Union which is especially favorable for freedom and independence of media coverage. The round table discussion was intended to foster this positive process and to provide it with a public forum. Special guests such as Constantin Marin, director of TeleRadio Moldova (TRM). Angela Sirbu, tv director of TRM as well as Corina Fusu, chairman of the partliamentary media committee, to name but a few, took part in the discussion. Dr. Betrhold Johannes, ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, attended the event too.

The round table discussion was part of a number of activities through which the KAS has intensified its work in the Republic of Moldova recently and which cover the realm of media too. At the beginning of this month, a joint workshop by the Deutsche Welle Akademie about media coverage of politics for radio journalists started. Last April, a media project which is scheduled for two years and is being supported by the EU was launched too. Main parties in this project are the Chisinau office of the KAS, the Committee for Press Freedom in Moldova and the Political Academy of the Austrian People’s Party. The purpose of the project is the further education of Moldavian journalists as well as the professionalization of the coperation between governmental institutions and the media.