According to the new media law the obligations of the broadcasters and of the print media related to media transparency will be monitored by the new regulator – Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services.  

 

Restrictions of media ownership for politicians formally exist in Macedonia.  New Law on Audio and Audiovisual Media Services, adopted in December 2013, continue to regulate it in the same way as it was the previous Broadcasting Law. It stipulates that political parties, state bodies, bodies of the state administration, public enterprises, local self-government units, public office holders and members of their families, may not pursue broadcasting activity or appear as founders or co-founders of broadcasters, or acquire ownership of broadcasters. Formally, this provision is implemented but in practice there are hidden relations of the owners with politicians and in some cases the names of the real owners do not formally appear in the registry.

 

Conflict of interest rules for members of regulatory bodies are part of the media regulation in Macedonia. New Law on Audio and Audiovisual Media Services includes a provision with long list of positions whose holders may not be elected members of the Council of the Agency: members of the Parliament and Government, persons appointed by the Assembly or the Government, senior officials in the local self-government units, director or member of managing or supervisory board of a public enterprise; persons performing duties in the bodies of a political party or a religious community; persons who are owners or shareholders, who are members of the managing boards, or who directly or indirectly have interests in a legal entity involved in audio or audiovisual activity, or in a company involved in related activity (advertising, electronic communications, production and sale of audio or audiovisual technical goods, etc.); persons whose family members (parents, sibling, spouse, offspring) own shares or sit in the managing bodies of broadcasters; persons lawfully sentenced to a term in prison longer than six months, etc.

 

Almost the same rules applied for the members of the previous regulator (Broadcasting Council) in accordance with the 2005 Broadcasting Law. The detailed rules have been formally implemented, but in practice there were strong affiliations of members of the regulatory body with political parties.

 

See more in the Overview of de jure vs. de facto situation for Macedonia here.