Since the beginning of 2015, the Parliamentary Assembly has participated in the implementation at parliamentary level of the joint programmatic framework between the Council of Europe and the European Union, entitled Partnership for Good Governance. This programme aims to support the reinforcement of democratic reforms in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus.

This conference is part of the Council of Europe’s action as approved in the framework of the Partnership for Good Governance. The Sub-Committee on Media and Information Society will meet on this occasion. Closely linked to relevant Council of Europe standards, it shall evaluate strategies for improving media freedom, independence, transparency, pluralism and diversity.

DRAFT PROGRAMME1

9.15 - 9.30 Introductory remarks

Welcome by Ms Gülsün BİLGEHAN, Chairperson of the PACE Sub-Committee on Media and Information Society, Member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey

9.30 - 11.00 SESSION 1: LEGAL STANDARDS FOR MEDIA TRANSPARENCY AND PLURALISM

Moderator: Gülsün Bílgehan, Chairperson of the PACE Sub-Committee on Media and Information Society, Member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey

Speakers:

Gvozden Flego, Honorary member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Croatia
Helena Mandic, Vice-chairperson of the European Platform of Regulatory Authorities (EPRA), Director of Broadcasting, Communications Regulatory Agency, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Marius Dragomir, Director, Centre for Media, Data and Society, School of Public Policy, Central European University

Discussion with the participation of parliamentarians, media regulators and journalists from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus

11.00 – 11.30 Coffee break

11.30 - 13.00 SESSION 2: REGULATING INDEPENDENCE AND PLURALISM OF AUDIO-VISUAL MEDIA: IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES

Moderator: Helena Mandic, Vice-chairperson of the European Platform of Regulatory Authorities, Director of Broadcasting, Communications Regulatory Agency, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Speakers:

Maria Donde, International Policy Manager, Ofcom, United Kingdom
Ivane Makharadze, Head of Broadcasting Regulation Department, National Communications Commission, Georgia
Aiga Grisane, Head of Media Policy Division, Ministry of Culture, Latvia

Discussion with the participation of parliamentarians, media regulators and journalists from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus

13.00 – 14.30 Lunch

14.30 – 16.30 SESSION 3: INSTITUTIONAL AND EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE OF PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING: TOPICAL CHALLENGES

Moderator: Mr Gvozden Flego, Honorary member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Croatia

Speakers:

Jenny Weinand, European Broadcasting Union, Legal Department
Michael Randall, Former Project Leader for public service broadcasting reform projects implemented by the BBC in Eastern Europe and the Middle East
Oleksandra Koltsova, Member of the Managing Board, Public Broadcasting Company, Ukraine

Discussion with the participation of parliamentarians, media regulators and journalists from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus

16.30 – 17.00 CLOSING SESSION

Conclusions by:

Rasto Kuzel, Executive Director of MEMO 98, Bratislava; general rapporteur for the conference
Gülsün Bilgehan, Chairperson of the PACE Sub-Committee on Media and Information Society, Member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey