Kosovo, the draft law for the Independent Media Commission is approved amid fierce opposition

2024-07-11 17:26:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Kosovo, the draft law for the Independent Media Commission is approved amid

Illustrative photo

With 59 votes in favor and two abstentions, the Parliament of Kosovo approved on Thursday in the second reading the bill for the Independent Media Commission, amid objections from the opposition that boycotted the session, as well as from the European Union, journalists' associations and civil society organizations.

This draft law, among other things, provides for the licensing of online media, their monitoring by the Independent Media Commission and heavy fines for media that commit legal violations.

The draft law, which was approved in the first reading in March, was subjected to an assessment by the European Union, which requested, among other things, the clarification of the requirements for media licensing and registration in accordance with European standards and the clarification of sanctions and fines against the media.

The head of the European Union office in Kosovo, Tomas Szunyog, said in a reaction on social networks that the parliament of Kosovo missed an opportunity today by failing to include the recommendations of the bloc and other international organizations in the draft law on the Independent Media Commission.

Even the Mission in Kosovo of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe expressed its concern with some of the aspects of the adoption of the new law for the KPM.

"The main recommendations of the experts that have not been taken into account have raised concerns about the new provisions that will have an impact on the composition, role and responsibilities of the KPM" is stated in the press release, where, among other things, it is emphasized that "the scope of powers of the IPC on social media, coupled with the lack of clear criteria for blocking harmful content, raises concerns about balance and may have an impact on freedom of expression".

The Association of Journalists of Kosovo assessed the approval of the draft law as a blow to the freedom of the media and an attempt to discipline and control them.

"The political party in power has not taken into account the remarks of civil society and the media and has ignored the report of the expert of the Council of Europe, which concluded that most of the law does not meet European standards, including those of the Council of Europe where Kosovo aims for membership", says the reaction, calling for the use of all legal and constitutional means to oppose the entry into force of the law.

The Secretary of the European Federation of Journalists, Ricardo Gutierrez, said in a reaction on social networks that "today is a black day for media freedom and democracy in Kosovo". At the beginning of the parliament session, the Democratic Party of Kosovo, supported by other opposition parties, requested the removal of this bill from the agenda, but this proposal did not receive the necessary votes and the opposition abandoned the work of the parliament.

"I think we can work together, especially on the law that violates free speech and free media in our country, and we consider that a joint commitment of ours can get the country out of this situation. You have continuously seen the international media and civil society associations that have continuously accused of violating free speech through this draft law", said Abelard Tahiri from the Democratic Party of Kosovo.

"As the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, we should not allow something like this to happen under our care and with our awareness", said Arben Gashi from the Democratic League of Kosovo.

"There are complaints not only from us as the opposition but from all international bodies. My request is not to vote because you will get the label that you have done long-term damage to Kosovo", said Besnik Tahiri from the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo.

The Government of Kosovo approved this draft law in December of last year, describing it as a necessary reform in the field of media.

The chairman of the parliamentary committee for media from the ruling party, Valon Ramadani, said that the committee has seriously considered all the recommendations of local and international institutions.

"We have had numerous comments from local organizations, civil society and the OSCE, the EU and the Council of Europe. We analyzed all those comments seriously and in the end it turned out that there are 93 amendments that also change the composition of this bill", he said.

To enter into force, after approval in parliament, the bill must be signed by the president of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani. However, the head of the parliamentary group of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Abelard Tahiri, warned in a written response that he will send the bill to the Constitutional Court.

Flutura Kusari, a media lawyer, expressed the hope that the Constitutional Court will not allow the implementation of this draft law.

"The approval of this law is the strongest blow that this government has given to the freedom of the media so far, and the consequences will be long-term," said Mrs. Kusari to the Voice of America.

Online media in Kosovo is currently self-regulated through the Council of Written Media relying on the Code of Written Media of Kosovo./ VOA