The British Embassy in Tirana has joined the call of the EU Delegation and the OSCE to ask for transparency and independence in the appointment of the chairman and other members of the Audiovisual Media Authority.
In a statement this afternoon, they said they have been following the appointment of the new chair and board members. The Embassy stated that “media regulatory authorities play a critical role in reinforcing media standards, integrity, and independence. Transparency procedures are essential to ensure trust of the public and all media actors in law, regulation, and public authorities”.
They joined “the call of our international partners to ensure the independence of AMA through the appointment of non-partisan candidates for its main governing structures.”
Like the OSCE, they fell short of explicitly asking the government to postpone the decision until the new parliament forms in September.
Albanian parliament is set to decide on who will head AMA today. One of the individuals in the running is Armela Krasniqi, who has worked for the Socialist Party for over a decade in various roles, including being Director of Communications for Prime Minister Edi Rama. Alket Dibra is also in the running and little information is available on him. It appears he has not worked in media or as a journalist in Albania in any capacity.
Today, the EUD said that “media regulatory authorities need to work impartially, transparently and with a legitimacy that is recognized by all.” They also stated that they had revised the Audiovisual Media Services Directive and had introduced new independence requirements for national media regulators, including “the obligation to set up transparent and independent procedures for the appointment and dismissal of the chair and board members.”
They continued that there should be no doubt about the non-partisan, professional, and pluralistic nature of the work of AMA.
In terms of today’s pending decision, they invite the government to consider waiting until September to complete the selection, “in order to achieve the widest possible consensus and legitimacy.”
