National Audiovisual Regulatory Authorities are playing important role in combating disinformation and strengthening media literacy. 

Representatives of ten National Audiovisual Regulatory Authorities have gathered, on 4th and 5th of September, in the Republic of Moldova, to discuss a series of key issues relevant to media freedom and pluralism, countering disinformation, media literacy, transparency of media ownership, adjusting national legislation to the EU legal framework, regulating content created by bloggers and influencers, and artificial intelligence. 

The discussions took place in the framework of a Regional Peer Support Workshop on Aligning regulatory practices for a robust media ecosystem, organised by the Council of Europe Project “Support for Media Pluralism and Freedom of Expression in the Republic of Moldova”, in cooperation with the Moldovan Audiovisual Council.

“Information is like food. It is important to know whom do you trust to cook your food?” one participant from Moldova said during the discussions, referring to disinformation. 

Stronger cooperation, engagement and sharing experiences between Audiovisual National Regulatory Authorities of the Council of Europe member states on media regulation is of paramount importance in an increasingly interconnected world.

The participants - from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Northern Macedonia, Romania, Ukraine and the United Kingdom – discussed the topics and exchanged experiences regarding the challenges they are facing in aligning regulatory audiovisual practices. 

The workshop organised by the Council of Europe is the culmination of a two-years’ activity carried out to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Audiovisual Council of Moldova - the Peer-Review Activity, which has been accomplished with the considerable support of the UK Regulatory Body, Office of Communications (Ofcom).