site.btaBTA to Distribute Public Interest Information Free of Charge, Parliament Resolves Conclusively

Sofia, February 25 (BTA) - The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) will
distribute public interest information free of charge, according
 to an Act to Amend and Supplement the Bulgarian News Agency Act
 moved by GERB MPs Vezhdi Rashidov and Toma Bikov and passed on
first and second reading by the National Assembly on Thursday.

Under the amendments, BTA has one year after the entry into
force of the revisions to ensure the gratuitous distribution and
 free access to its products.

According to the previous version of the regulatory framework,
the Agency distributes and ensures the reception of information
mainly to paying subscribers. The amendments are intended to
ensure that BTA distributes public interest information
gratuitously and makes its own products freely accessible to all
 users in Bulgaria and abroad.

The most important result of this legislative change will be to
strengthen the counteraction to fake news, the reasoning to the
bill says. "The free access to BTA's news products will enable
Bulgaria to expand the Agency's capacity, continuing to develop
it as a national as well as a regional agency," Rashidov and
Bikov argue.

To ensure the free access to its information, the Agency needs
an estimated 3 million leva in an additional transfer to the
2021 BTA budget according to the procedure established by the
Public Finance Act. The allocation can be provided by
restructuring other expenditures and transfers. The Finance
Ministry said that the Agency will get money saved on newly
established entities which did not go into operation as from
January 1, 2021 even though these resources were planned in the
State budget.

According to other revisions to the law, proceeds from the sale
of information and other products which the Agency is not
obliged to make freely and gratuitously accessible will accrue
in revenue to the BTA budget. Access will continue to be paid
for products containing works that are subject matter of third
parties' protected rights, specialized information products
prepared on demand, archive materials after the expiry of the
period and procedure for access to them as established by the
Director General, and the Agency's publishing, printing and
producer output.

BTA must keep the information it distributes for at least three
months.

A person who alleges that they are harmed by any information
released by the Agency has the right to access to the relevant
archives.

The BTA Director General will endorse a Code of Ethics of the
Agency, Parliament resolved.

The instruments and communications distributed by the Agency may
 not contain any information of a commercial nature which
advertises the activities of natural or legal persons, goods or
services, the amending law says. NV/LG