The new media law: when will it be adopted and what regulations will it contain?

The Republic of Moldova has committed to adopting a new media law by June 2026, which will also include updated regulations for the online environment. The details were provided by the president of the Audiovisual Council (CA), Liliana Vițu, on Monday, December 8, during the debate “Legislative priorities in the media field in the context of European integration,” held at the Media Forum 2025.

During the debate, the president of the national audiovisual authority pointed out that the European Commission’s enlargement reports (“Rule of Law Report”) from the last three years contain the same recommendation: ensuring the transparency of the print and online media. “By recommendation, we must understand conditionality. Therefore, we have a deadline: June 2026, by which date the Republic of Moldova has committed to implementing these requirements. A first regulation for the online environment will focus on the transparency of ownership and funding sources. And this is to be achieved through the new media law,” said Liliana Vițu.

When asked how long the media law will be “in the throes of creation” and when the Republic of Moldova will have a truly European law that protects both media consumers and journalists, Ion Bunduchi, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Electronic Press Association, said: “If we had been more provident, perhaps two years ago we would have been working on a single law to regulate all types of media. Because we were not so provident, we are now forced to supplement the Audiovisual Media Services Code and then see what we do with the draft of a new press law. In fact, the answer is clear: it must be ready by June.”

At the same time, the chair of the Audiovisual Council emphasized that the future law will establish a set of explicitly defined rules for online media, which will be treated as an audiovisual media service. At the same time, social media platforms will continue to be governed by the legal regime of the digital services law, a normative act still in the process of being drafted and with which the Republic of Moldova must comply by the end of 2026.

In this context, Michelle Iliev, State Secretary responsible for digitalization at the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization, mentioned in a separate debate that the institution is working to implement the Digital Services Act (DSA) within the set deadline. However, she stressed that the process requires the support of the journalistic community, as it is important for the ministry to receive feedback on this regulatory framework, given that it transposes European legislation and introduces “quite strict rules for large market players.” Iliev described the situation as “a double-edged sword,” explaining that the challenge lies in finding a balance that ensures efficiency in the transmission and verification of information, while protecting the economic sustainability of media institutions.

“Perhaps we should not place so much emphasis on our preparations for accession, but rather work every day, because we have work to do. And then, it is better to enter the European Union on a white horse than through the back door,” added Ion Bunduchi.

Media Azi wrote that, in its latest report on the progress of countries applying for EU membership, the Brussels executive pointed out that Moldova still needs to harmonize its legislation with EU standards. The authorities in Chișinău are urged to complete the alignment of the legal framework and implement the outstanding recommendations of the Venice Commission.