On January 11-12 a Seminar titled "European Standards on Media Regulation" was held at Ani Plaza Hotel in Yerevan. The Seminar was organized by the OSCE Office in Yerevan and the Council of Europe at the assistance of Yerevan Press Club and Internews Armenia. The event accommodated about 70 participants, representing Armenian media and journalistic associations, state bodies, diplomatic missions accredited in Armenia, international organizations.
The following subjects were raised during the first working day of the Seminar: "Review of the Armenian media legislation", "Free access to information: current state in Armenia and legislative initiatives", "International standards and requirements of the Council of Europe on media legislation", "Problems in the field of legal regulation of broadcast media in Armenia".
The second day of the Seminar was spent at the analysis of the RA Law "On TV and Radio" recently adopted by the National Assembly of the country. The role of this Law in developing free media in Armenia, its compliance with requirements of the Council of Europe and prospects of its practical implementation in broadcasting regulation were considered.
In the opinion of most local and foreign experts, participating in the Seminar, the existing media legislation in Armenia, including the recently adopted RA Law “On Television and Radio”, does not correspond to modern requirements and international standards. Moreover, many stipulations of the recently adopted Law contradict the Constitution and a number of other Armenian laws. This was also confirmed by the resolution given by RA Constitutional Court on January 11, 2001. According to this resolution, the RA Law ”On Television and Radio” is recognized to contradict the RA Constitution in 6 points.
