Romania’s Audiovisual Watchdog, Culture Min To Amend Audiovisual Law

According to Nitulescu, works to elaborate a "public policy" in the field of the audiovisual services have already started, but the government’s approval is needed, while the audiovisual law will be subsequently amended.

Nitulescu said the main amendments consist of the analog to digital transition and the transfer of the audiovisual content toward new means of communication, other than the classic radio and television.

The audiovisual law no. 504/ 2002 was last amended on December 28, 2007, when all cable operators in Romania were forced to retransmit TV5 channel, starting this year, or the audiovisual watchdog would withdraw their broadcast licenses. Under law 364 on December 28, 2007, amending the audiovisual law, TV5 entered the "must carry" procedure alongside state-owned TV channels, such as public television TVR.

The European Parliament adopted late 2007, the Audiovisual Media Services Directive on the audiovisual media services. The new legislative provisions under the Directive update the provisions included in The Television Without Frontiers Directive, adopted in 1997, in order to consider the development of the audiovisual and advertising technologies. They will also apply to “TV-type services," such as TV programs broadcasted through online streams, but not to private websites.