site.btaGovernment-Appointed Working Group to Draft Legislative Amendments on Media Ownership, Financing, Distribution

Sofia, February 28 (BTA) - Bulgaria's Council of Ministers decided on Wednesday to set up a working group for drafting amendments to the legislation in force with regard to Bulgarian media ownership, financing and distribution, the Government Information Service said.

The working group will be expected to propose a clear mechanism for identifying the ultimate owner of the respective media service provider and its sources of financing, the responsible public authority that will be applying this mechanism and the amount of sanctions to be imposed on the addressees of the bill in case of non-compliance. The group will also have to propose a legally admissible way in which a competent public authority can approach the Commission on Protection of Competition (CPC) and to oblige the CPC to prepare periodically sector analyses of the media market in Bulgaria, covering all media. In case the Commission finds that competition on the media market is restricted or distorted, a mechanism for restoration of competition should be established.

The working group will include the ministers of economy, of finance and of culture and experts designated by them.

Within 14 days from the adoption of the decision, the working group will approach the CPC with a reasoned request to perform a sector analysis of the media market in Bulgaria, which should explore the characteristics and structure of that market, its participants, the level of market concentration, the sector dynamics, the statutory framework and the self-regulations and should draw conclusions about the state of the competitive environment.